▲ GMF Charity Night Gala 2023 held at Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul on October 31 (local time).

On October 31, SK Innovation and affiliates invited diplomatic envoys to Korea from 24 countries to attend the GMF Charity Night Gala 2023. The GMF Charity Night Gala is now in its 4^th time and is a great opportunity to enjoy the performances of previous GMF winners and support their dreams.

The Great Music Festival (hereinafter referred to as GMF) is a musical festival that is held annually by SK Innovation to support the musical talents of the developmentally disabled across the country and provide them with a stage to showcase their talents. As a part of this, SK Innovation has continued to sponsor GMF for 7 years in order to foster the infinite growth potential of the participants and to give them a chance to fully demonstrate their talents for the world to see. The 7^th GMF was held at the New Millennium Hall of Konkuk University in Seoul last September. Participants have been able to convey their love and passion for music as they created a touching stage for the audience. With the shared love for music, everyone was united as one.

 
| A gala night shining with musical talent
 

▲ An inside view of the GMF Charity Night Gala 2023

The event was presented under the theme of “Great Melody in Fall” at the Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. There were many elements that gave a vivid feel of a Korean fall night, attracting the attention of the diplomatic envoys from various countries who participated in the event. Their reactions were full of excitement and anticipation for what the night had in store for them.

▲ Happy Elephant welcomed participants of GMF Charity Night Gala 2023

The first to greet the guests was the Happy Elephant, SK’s eco-friendly mascot who delivers happiness wherever he goes. After receiving warm greetings from the Happy Elephant, the guests were guided to engrave their names into a special guestbook designed in the shape of a mangrove tree.

▲ An attendee placed his engraved leaf (left) in the mangrove guest book (right).

The meaning behind this motif is related to SK Innovation’s Mangrove Reforestation Project, which represents the company and its affiliates’ efforts to contribute to global carbon reduction as mangrove trees play a key role in solving the problem of global warming and preserving biodiversity.

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▲ Attendees experienced the activities in the indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces.

In the internal exhibition zone, there was a GMF Charity Gala History Wall that showed the most memorable moments and highlights of the three previous Galas, which were hosted in different places in 2021 and 2022. There was also a special photo and VR corner where attendees could indirectly tour Busan, the second largest city and a coastal jewel of South Korea through the Gwangan Bridge photo wall and VR experiences. Diplomats in Korea and their families who attended the charity gala were able to enjoy the famous attractions of Busan in Seoul despite Busan being over 400km away. SK also shared its desire to support the hosting of the Busan World Expo in 2030.

▲ A photo zone decorated with a large crescent moon on the outside of the venue.

In addition, there were different sculptures that were found throughout the exhibition hall that reflected the “fall season” concept of the event. On the outside of the venue, there was a photo zone decorated with a large crescent moon sculpture, neon signs, and cute rabbit lights that captured the attention of the attendees. Those in attendance were able to create memories of the beauty of Korea’s autumn night and commemorate the long-standing Korean tradition of making wishes while looking at the bright moon, as well as learning about the legend of the milling rabbits that live on the moon.

▲ Attendees shared a toast as they exchanged greetings before the event began.

The event began with an opening speech delivered by Oh Jee-chul, Chairman of the Heart-to Heart Foundation. He stated, “Since 2017, GMF has been contributing to the self-esteem and sense of accomplishment of developmentally disabled musicians. Through this stage, they have experienced healing and the ability to communicate with society through music. I am confident that GMF will play a role as an accelerator for special musicians to become stronger.” Lim Su-kil, Head of SK Innovation Value Creation Center also highlighted that “GMF is a representative example of a solution platform that Korea and SK are pursuing, through which a world without discrimination can be created, and the Earth can be saved from the risks of climate change. “The developmentally disabled performers who participated in this program are realizing their Great Dreams, taking on Great Challenges, and bringing Great Harmony.”

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▲ The event opened with a Nanta performance by Aria Nanta.

The memorable night continued with an exciting performance by Aria Nanta. Aria Nanta also graced the audience with their wonderful performance as participants in GMF 2022 and GMF 2023. As a team that has been invited to many events and festivals in the local community, Aria Nanta completed an impressive performance with a powerful sense of rhythm, generating a great response from the audience. Furthermore, the guests enjoyed their firsthand experience of Nanta, including catching Nanta drumsticks and learning how to hit them, in a short time.

▲ Attendees experienced and enjoyed their firsthand experience of Nanta.

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▲ Multiple performers, including the GMF winners and special guests, take the stage at GMF Charity Night Gala 2023

Mosaic, who also performed at the 5^th and 7^th GMF, gave a touching performance through the harmony of their piano, saxophone, and violin. The audience was fully immersed in the autumn night atmosphere while listening to the beautiful sounds filling the air. Mosaic’s saxophonist Lim Eun-gyu expressed that the Gala night was a happy night for him and was a precious experience enough to remember for a lifetime.

Up next was Console Piano Ensemble, the winner of the 6th GMF grand prize. Since 2022, they have been promoting as artists under social enterprise Tool Music Entertainment and have grown into a piano duo who exudes power and passion onstage. After the stage, a member of Console Piano Ensemble, Nam Yu-sin shared, “I was delighted to perform at the gala concert and share our wonderful music. These days, I have been practicing hard to deliver great music to people with developmental disabilities. It brings me happiness to perform and receive applause while doing what I love.

SEMDuo, the winner of the 4^th GMF who also took second place at the 6^th Manhattan International Music Competition, performed at the Gala as well. There was also an impressive performance by this year’s GMF winning team, Parasol Clarinet Ensemble. They proved that there is a greater emotion in music as everyone works together to become one to produce euphonious sounds that filled the night. BBIRIBBOO, a Korean traditional flute trip, attended as special guests and gave a beautiful and peaceful performance to end the night.

▲ Performers and attendees sharing their hearts with bright smiles.

On a quiet autumn night in Korea, the beautiful melodies transcended borders and moved everyone, which filled the night with colorful emotions. As Jean Sibelius said, “Music begins where the possibilities of language end.” The boundaries between languages disappeared as music is a universal language. It clearly showed that the distinction between disabled and non-disabled people is meaningless, and that even if they speak different languages and have different appearances, they can share the same emotions through the language of music.

Through this event, it was shown that what is needed to fill this world with happiness is dedicated support for everyone who does their best in their respective positions, and cheering and praising them with all their might. SK Innovation and affiliates plan to continue to work tirelessly to achieve the dreams and great challenges of people with developmental disabilities.