(middle),
Jacek Kaspszyk (right) In 1977, Gum was awarded the fourth prize at the
Herbert von Karajan Conductor's Competition and became the first Korean conductor to lead the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. After returning to Korea in 1980, he was appointed the conductor of the
KBS Symphony Orchestra, which he held for 12 years. In 1992, Gum became the conductor of the
Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. He introduced initiatives to improve the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's performances and public profile. While in Suwon, Gum organized special concerts, including a 7-hour Marathon Concert and a New Year's Eve Concert at Seoul Arts Center. In 1994, he started an educational concert series with the
Seoul Arts Center for young students titled "Young People's Concerts with Gum Nanse." These concerts were held from 1994 to 1999 and drew large audiences. During Gum’s tenure as Art Director, the Suwon Philharmonic’s annual performances grew from 10 to more than 60 concerts. In 1995,
Samsung Electronics (headquartered in
Suwon) constructed a new outdoor concert hall and rehearsal facilities for the Suwon Philharmonic. Samsung Electronics sponsored the orchestra and supported international tours, including performances at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. Since 1997, Gum has led the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, later renamed the New World Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to the New World Philharmonic, he served as the Art Director of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra (2006–10) and the
Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra (2010–14). at Salle de Musique de Chambre, Luxembourg in 2013 In 1999 he conducted a series of symphonic concerts in the lobby of the
POSCO Center headquarters building in Seoul, which included complete symphonies by
Beethoven,
Tchaikovsky, and
Brahms. In recent years, Gum has been active as a festival director, founding the Music Isle Festival in Jeju in 2005 and the Manhattan Chamber Music Festival in 2012. The Music Isle Festival in Jeju became a member of the
European Festivals Association (EFA) in 2010. Gum served as the principal of Seoul Arts High School (Seoul Yego) until 2019 and regularly conducts the Korea United College Orchestra (KUCO), which consists of non-music major students from 25 universities nationwide. He also conducts the Korea Young Dream Orchestra (KYDO) annually, composed of young amateur musicians from 25 small provincial towns. Gum is currently the artistic director of the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra and Hankyung Philharmonic Orchestra. In September 2015, he became the principal guest conductor of the
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Gum holds the following positions: • Artistic director and conductor of the New World Philharmonic Orchestra – since 1997 • Artistic director and conductor of Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra – since 2015 • Artistic director and conductor of Hankyung Philharmonic – since 2015 • Principal guest conductor of Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra – since 2015 • Artistic director of Raum Art Center – since 2012 • Artistic director of Manhattan Chamber Music Festival – since 2012 • Artistic director of Jeju Music Isle Festival – since 2005 • Artistic director of Busan Chamber Music Festival – since 2014 • Artistic director of Euro-Asian Music Festival – since 2015 • Artistic director of Korea United College Orchestra (KUCO) – since 2010 • Artistic director of Korea Young Dream Orchestra (KYDO) – since 2011 • Chairman of Korea Orchestra Association (KOA) – since 2011 •
Honorary Consul of
Slovakia – since 2017 • Artistic Director of Gum Nanse Music Center (GMC) – since 2021 ==Awards and honors==