The upcoming Great Mountains Music Festival & School will be paying homage to all things French high art with this year’s theme: “French Chic.”

The three-week-long festival will feature a number of world-class concert performances bringing life to the sounds of French classics such as Rameau, Ravel and Saint-Saens, with this year’s GMMFS once again being directed by sisters and local classical music icons ― cellist Chung Myung-wha and violinist Chung Kyung-wha.

“Elegance is one word that immediately comes to mind as we think of fashion design or perfumes or gourmet food or wine; but almost as quickly come so many French words that have entered languages on every continent ― avant-garde, bourgeois, chic ... that speak to the highest in execution and taste,” said Myung-wha, during a press conference held at the Grand Ambassador Seoul hotel Monday. 

“In a country where the Academie Francaise was created by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635 to oversee the purity of the culture and the language, we have the flowering of a new musical and visual language and impressionism unmatched by any other place,” she continued. “From the rustic countryside of rural France to the unmatched urbanity of Paris, there will be many sides of ‘French chic’ captured and on display at the 2015 Great Mountains Music Festival and School.”

The festival will be held from July 14-Aug. 4 at the Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang and various cultural centers across Gangwon Province. Along with highlight performances by the Chung sisters, the program will also feature musicians from around the world including violinists Daniel and Todd Philips, violist Robert Diaz, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor and many more. This year GMMFS will also unveil a new ballet choreographed by Gregory Dolbashian to Ravel’s famous “Bolero.”

“We have assembled another group of international soloists who will share their special spirit that defines sophistication and emotion, encompassing the vast centuries of French music,” said Kyung-wha.

The annual GMMFS is also highlighted by its hosting of master classes for both local and international music students earning a rare opportunity to be mentored by a handful of the renowned participating musicians. For more information on performance scheduling and ticket pricing, visit www.gmmfs.com.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)