News

“It’s been one year since Dr. Chung Park has taken over as conductor of the St. Olaf Orchestra, and he’s already making his mark,” reporter Kaomi Lee ’93 says in her profile of one of the newest members of the St. Olaf College music faculty.

The feature story aired on Twin Cities PBS affiliate TPT just as Park, a talented conductor and music educator who joined the college in the fall of 2022, took the podium in this year’s St. Olaf Christmas Festival. It was fitting timing given that the world-famous Christmas Festival is how Park says he first learned about the high caliber of music-making at St. Olaf.

When the opportunity became available to lead the St. Olaf Orchestra, Park was ready to bring his skills and perspective to the Hill. “Every conductor wants to work with the best possible ensemble that they can. And I thought that if I could be in a liberal arts setting and work with a tremendously gifted orchestra, that I could have my cake and eat it, too,” he tells TPT.

Park’s talent and leadership style have earned rave reviews from students in his first months at St. Olaf, and he tells TPT that he’s looking forward to continuing to help them grow as musicians and challenge themselves.

“I want the orchestra to play with their heart on their sleeve, I want them to play with tremendous expressiveness, I want them to take risks, I want tremendous clarity in terms of articulation, I want them to play in tune,” Park says. “Mostly, I want the ensemble to really, really relish what they’re doing. That’s the most important thing for me. I think if the morale is high, then you can go anywhere.”

In her story, Lee notes that Park is one of several new St. Olaf conductors who are increasing the diversity of the college’s music faculty. Assistant Professor of Music Henry Dorn became conductor of the St. Olaf Band this fall, and Associate Professor of Music Joseph Jefferson is the first tenure-track director of the St. Olaf Jazz ensembles. Together with Park, who was born in South Korea and raised by immigrant parents in Chicago, they bring a range of lived experiences and a level of talent that is helping a new generation of Ole musicians excel in the arts.

Those lived experiences are important to fostering a sense of belonging for everyone on campus, says St. Olaf Choir Conductor Anton Armstrong ’78, who became the college’s first Black conductor 34 years ago.

“It took a long time, but finally I have colleagues who look like me and will be here long after I leave,” Armstrong tells TPT.

Learn more about Park in the video profile below.