About
Mayor of Gwangju City
Bang Sehwan
Greetings from WASBE.
I am Bang Sehwan, the Mayor of Gwangju City and the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the <20th INTERNATIONAL WASBE CONFERENCE Gwangju-Gyeonggi, KOREA 2024>
The 20th WASBE Conference will be held in Gwangju City for the first time in South Korea.
Gwangju City is a proud cultural city with a 1,000-year history that surrounds Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
Further more, it is one of the top tourist destinations in the Seoul metropolitan area with its beautifully preserved landscapes.
In July 2024, Gwangju City will be the place where anyone can meet and experience K-culture firsthand and fully appreciate the city's cultural beauty.
We also believe we can connect and become one by sharing our hearts and uniting with people from different cultures through music.
Please join us for the amazing moments of growth and development as music flourishes in the midst of Gwangju's breathtaking natural environment.
We look forward to seeing you in Gwangju City in July 2024.
Thank you.
President of WASBE
Colleen Richardson
As the current president of WASBE,I am very excited to invite wind band enthusiastsfrom around the globe to WASBE’s 20th International Conference in beautiful Gwangju, South Korea!
Situated in the suburb southeast of Seoul, Gwangju is in Gyeonggi Province which boasts a 1000-year history and many natural wonders for exploration.
The region’s historical connections and natural environment align perfectly with the conference theme, Wildflower : growing, developing, nurturing, and celebrating the wind band!
In an effort to offer more diverse professional development options for attendees, the conference schedule will incorporate Dual Clinic Tracks. WASBE’s traditional professional level performances and sessions will happen alongside presentations geared towards school, community, and developing bands.
The Artistic Planning Committee believes that more variety and more choice will ensure that there is something for everyone. Composer Warren Benson said it best in WASBE’s Statement of Understanding.
We recognize that individual differences: national identity, cultural inheritance, age, artistic taste, and amateur or professional experience are elements which enrich and illuminate our sound-time community in this greater, broader, endless search.
This conference is an opportunity to come together, share, learn, and celebrate. We look forward to welcoming you in Gwangju July 2024!