Hanwha Group said on April 15 that its flagship community program — the Hanwha Youth Orchestra, a dream stage for young people in the Chungcheong region — completed recruitment for new members for 2026 and held its first training session on April 14. Some 60 students will spend about a year receiving music instruction and immersing themselves in classical repertoire.
A Hanwha spokesperson said the youth orchestra “best embodies the group’s management philosophy, ‘Together, Far.’”
The spokesperson added that the company will continue to back youth music education so participants can grow into healthy, engaged members of society.
Now in its 13th year, the Hanwha Youth Orchestra is a joint music-education program run by Hanwha Group and the Korea Mecenat Association.
The program offers free, full-course instruction to elementary, middle and high school students in Cheonan and Cheongju who have limited access to classical music, helping to close gaps in arts education.
The orchestra follows the philosophy of El Sistema, the internationally recognized, socially driven music-education model that began in Venezuela in 1975.
In June, President Lee Jae-myung referenced El Sistema during a meeting with artists, underscoring the need for policy support for youth music education.
Like El Sistema, the program uses classical music to boost students’ self-esteem and foster a sense of community.
Notably, some alumni have gone on to study music at the university level — a tangible sign of the program’s impact. Orchestra participation has helped establish a virtuous cycle that supports young people’s development into productive members of society.
