Note to Correspondents

SEOUL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM ON UNITED NATIONS DAY

 

A concert by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will mark this year’s celebration of United Nations Day on Wednesday, 24 October 2007, beginning at 7 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall.  This year’s concert is sponsored by the Government of the Republic of Korea.

Founded in 1948, the 100-member Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest classical orchestra in the Republic of Korea.  With the goal of growing into a world-class orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra was re-launched as a foundation in 2005 and acquired maestro Chung Myung-Whun as its Music Director.  It performed over 100 concerts last year.

The United Nations Day Concert will showcase soprano soloist Shin Youngok, with Chung Yikun as the featured tenor.  The orchestra’s performance includes arias from Verdi’s Aida and La Traviata, as well as Brahms's Symphony No. 2 in D Major.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will offer opening remarks at Wednesday’s concert.  Srgjan Kerim, President of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly, will also speak, as will Kim Hyun-Chong, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.  There will be a video message from Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul.  Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will be Master of Ceremonies.

United Nations Day commemorates the anniversary of the United Nations Charter, which went into effect on 24 October 1945.  Representatives of 50 nations had gathered in San Francisco earlier that year to deliberate on a document that would become the Charter of the United Nations.  In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 24 October as United Nations Day, to be celebrated annually by all United Nations Member States.

Accredited correspondents who wish to attend the concert, please call tel.: 212 963 6934.  For further information, please contact Anna Szalai, tel.: 917 367 5413, e-mail: szalai@un.org; or Joanna Piucci, tel.: 212 963 7346, e-mail: piucci@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record