Dongsuh Foods hits the right note with musical and cultural contributions

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Dongsuh Foods hits the right note with musical and cultural contributions

Published: 20 Dec. 2024, 13:33

The 17th Scent of Love donated instruments to Daejeon Dongdo Elementary School. [DONGSUH FOODS]

As per its motto, "Dongsuh Foods adds fragrance to life," the Korean food material manufacturer, led by Chairman Kim Suk-soo, is spreading the aroma of warmth with its ongoing contributions to culture and the arts.

Since its 40th anniversary in 2008, Dongsuh Foods has orchestrated the Dongsuh Coffee Classic. Each year, the concert selects one city in Korea to host a top-tier performance, featuring local orchestras and musicians. Touring Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Chuncheon and more, the performances have attracted more than 18,000 people.

The 14th Dongsuh Coffee Classic was held on Oct. 30 at the Art Hall of the Daejeon Arts Center. At the event, the 1,200 audience members were captivated by performances from Korea’s top musicians, including the Gongju City Chungnam Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Jeong Nara, pianist Cho Jae-Hyuck, violinist Dami Kim, soprano Kim Soon Young, crossover artist Park Hyunsoo and tenor Kim Seonghyeon.

Dongsuh Foods also enhances the arts with its Scent of Love patronage project. Since its first donation in 2008 to the orchestra of Busan Boys Town — a children’s home in Busan — Scent of Love has spread across the country over the past 17 years, supporting Korea’s elementary school orchestras with new instruments and facilities. Now a symbol of Dongsuh’s social sponsorship, the program’s contributions have totaled 490 million won ($340,000).

The 14th Dongsuh Coffee Classic concert was performed at Daejeon Arts Center. [DONGSUH FOODS]

This year, Scent of Love reached Daejeon Dongdo Elementary School. From violins to cellos, Dongsuh supplied the school with new instruments and musical equipment worth 380 million won. At the granting ceremony held on Oct. 31, violinist Dami Kim and the members of the Gongju City Chungnam Philharmonic Orchestra, who performed at the Dongsuh Coffee Classic, volunteered their talents by conducting a music lesson for the students.

Biannually, Dongsuh Foods also shines the spotlight on new and emerging authors with the Scent of Life Dongsuh Literature Awards — the nation’s biggest award for amateur female writers. The 17th Scent of Life Dongsuh Literature Awards opened for submissions this year from late May to September in categories including poetry, essays, children’s literature and novels on any topic.

Among the 18,000 submissions from budding writers, 484 works made it to the finals. The grand prize was awarded to author Kim Eun-sook for her novel “Bungee Jump.”

“As Korea’s best-known coffee manufacturer, Dongsuh Foods hopes to offer comfort and rest to consumers through cultural and artistic philanthropy,” a representative said.

BY KIM YEONSOO [[email protected]]

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