When Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, known as the pinnacle of Italian opera, was like, “Yo, Chung Myung-whun, who’s 72, is gonna be our next music director,” the whole world was like, “Oh snap, he’s gonna be the first Asian to hold that position!” But Chung was all, “I mean, being the first Asian is cool and all, but honestly, it’s more about repping my country and doing what I gotta do, you know?”
Chung’s been tight with La Scala since, like, 1989. He’s done conducted 84 operas and 141 concerts there. And in 2023, he made history as the first conductor to be named honorary conductor of the La Scala Philharmonic. His gig as music director is set from 2027 to 2030, taking over from Riccardo Chailly.
“La Scala has been my ride or die for 36 years. It’s like we’ve taken our relationship to the next level — it’s like we’re married now,” Chung said with a grin. “I feel a deeper sense of responsibility now.”
Chung not really sure why this matters, but he’s always been a big deal at La Scala, doing all these operas and concerts. And now, he’s stepping up to the plate as music director. Sounds like a big deal, right?
