Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra

Meet the Conductor

A Revolutionary Thinker in a World of Classical Music

JUNG-HO PAK, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

Creating a "passionate synergy" between himself and the orchestra in a manner that "inspires and entertains all generations" is the intent of Jung-Ho Pak, artistic director and conductor of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, whose tenure began with the 07/08 season.

The orchestra’s raison d’etre, he says, is not to play notes, but to "grab souls" - an approach that has earned him a reputation for being a revolutionary thinker in the world of classical music. He has been described as "Electricity Conductor" by the Cape Cod Times, as a conductor who "radiates enthusiasm" by the New York Times, and as "a real grabber" by the Los Angeles Times.

Maestro Pak came to the Cape after many successes. In addition to his role with the CCSO, he currently leads the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Summer Orchestras at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He is also music director emeritus of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.

He has been the music director at the San Diego Symphony, University of Southern California, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the University of California, Berkeley. He served as the principal conductor of the Emmy-nominated Disney Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra for eight years and has been on national television (60 Minutes, Disney Channel) and radio (NPR) for many years. Guest conducting for a variety of well-known orchestras has taken him to Europe, the Soviet Union, South America and Asia.

A passionate advocate for arts in education, Maestro Pak’s dream is to make classical music more accessible for the younger generation. The fact that CCSO musicians, staff and board all share this dream is a major reason he was drawn to the Cape - that and the combination of talent, courage and resources nurtured under Music Director Laureate Royston Nash which he found here.

Maestro Pak (whose first name is pronounced with a hard "j" as in "joy") was educated at the University of Southern California and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. When asked about his favorite composers, his response is: "Whatever I’m conducting that moment!"