Mittelrhein Kapelle 독일중앙라인강관악단 / Germany

Mittelrhein Brass Band is based in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a region recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Since 2010, The City-Confederation Loreley has maintained a partnership with Jeju City and formed mutual visits to keep it.

Under the baton of conductors Jungheon Yoon, Felix Grass, and band leader Ulrich Hampel-Wagner, forty musicians from different orchestras from the Valley of the Loreley joined together in 2014 to cultivate and preserve their local music. The ensemble is composed of a wide range of ages—from 11 to 75 years old—including students and retirees. This diversity is vividly reflected in the character of their music.

Their repertoire is not limited to regional music. It spans a broad spectrum, featuring songs of the Rhine River, traditional German folk music, musicals and potpourris from all parts of the world. Led by Jungheon Yoon, and through the partnership between Jeju and Loreley, Mittelrhein Brass Band is actively working to bring their music to a global stage.

Conductor Yoon Joong-Heon
Yoon Joong-Heon began studying music at Kyunghee University in Seoul in 1976 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree. In 1983 he continued his studies in Europe, at the University of Music in Munster, the Braband Conservatory in Tilburg and the Prague Conservatory. Back in Korea he worked as a first trombonist, soloist and music director in various orchestras and in the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. He teaches young musicians and directs various bands in our area, such as the Mittelrhein-Kapelle, the Loreley-Ensemble and the Kolping-Kapelle. As a member of the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival Organizing Committee, he organizes Korean-European cultural exchange.

Conductor Felix Gras
Since early childhood, music has been an integral part of Felix Gras's life. At the age of five, he began saxophone lessons with Peter Lerch. When he was ten, he joined the local music association and gained his first concert experience under the direction of Joong-Heon Yoon. At fifteen, he took over the musical direction of the youth orchestra, and five years later, he assumed leadership of the association’s wind orchestra.
In addition to these activities, Felix Gras frequently performed with various ensembles and bands, arranging and composing music. In 2017, he received instruction from pianist Kiveli Dörken in music and concert management. Already 2014, a concert tour with the Mittelrhein-Kapelle took him to South Korea, leaving a lasting impression on him. Now he is conducting this orchestra together with Joong-Heon Yoon.