It looks like Cape Cod has unhooked its music director
OrchestrasFor the past 16 years the Cape Symphony has gotten along happily with its artistic director Jung-Ho Pak. He was last renewed by the board for five years in 2021.
Suddenly, there’s an announcement he’s leaving this weekend. No explanation from the board, the musicians, or the conductor himself.
It all looks very – forgive me – fishy.
Some of the conductor’s fans are running up a petition.
Pak, 61, also heads the Fremont Symphony Orchestra in California. Cape Cod has run clean out of chips.
Not surprising at all.
Good riddance.
Damn right! Jung Ho Pak is not a good conductor. Vanessa Benelli Mosell is far superior over Jung Ho.
VBM is plain vanilla. Boring.
16 years is way past a productive shelf life. Get a grip.
Pretty par for the course at Cape Symphony. Fishy, murky, not above the board dealings and management does what they want.
This was announced in May. https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/local/2023/05/18/cape-symphony-trustee-says-jung-ho-pak-will-be-missed-for-music-joy/70231450007/
In a conversation I had with Jung-Ho Pak I found him to be a visionary conductor, full of lots of ideas, certainly not past his sell-by date. But 16 years is a substantial innings. I would expect him to want to pursue other projects and explore new ground.
Say what you may – but just went to Christmas concert on Cape where I live and without Jung Ho they will not see me again. Yes the orchestra was wonderful – why wouldn’t they be but the personality and charisma from Jung Ho certainly not there . Nothing was the same! So it’s bye bye for me it’s been nice to know u ! Hope Jung Ho returns soon at another place of venue ?? Merry Christmas!
Yes, exactly Carol. We plan to look elsewhere too. We really missed the New Year’s concert this year. We are at tonight’s concert because friends happened to give us tickets they could’t use, but it’s just not the same. The crowd is noticeably smaller too. It think this organization will be very hard pressed to find someone with the same enthusiasm and creativity. It’s extremely disappointing they let him go.