K-Pop Hits Reimagined by a Full Symphony Orchestra
SM Classics Live 2026, a concert that reworked three decades of K-pop hits into full orchestral arrangements, has highlighted the growing potential of Thailand's classical music scene to reach younger audiences through familiar songs. The show was held on July 12 at Prince Mahidol Hall, Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom, just outside Bangkok, and paired the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO) with a set list spanning SM Entertainment acts including BoA, TVXQ, Girls' Generation, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa. Red Velvet's Wendy appeared as the special guest vocalist, a booking first announced in April by organizer 54 Entertainment, with the Thailand date marking one of only two stops confirmed at the time for the global SM Classics series, alongside Singapore.
According to a recap published by Khaosod English on July 21, Nuttha Kuankajorn, known as "Mook," the TPO's principal oboe, said performing fully orchestrated K-pop was a first for her and, she believes, for many of the orchestra's musicians, even though the TPO had previously staged crossover concerts built around film, video game and animation soundtracks. A longtime SM Entertainment fan herself since the mid-2000s, Mook said she initially assumed she would be watching from the audience before learning she would perform in the ensemble, calling the intricate arrangements and precision required one of the more demanding projects of her career. The concert, conducted by Dr. Thanapol Setabrahmana, drew on orchestral techniques associated with composers including Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Rachmaninoff to reframe the K-pop catalog, according to event organizers.
Audience Members Say the Show Changed How They See Classical Music
Concertgoers described a similar shift in perspective. One attendee, Tubtim, said she bought a ticket mainly to see Wendy and might not have traveled to Nakhon Pathom otherwise, despite already having some interest in orchestral music. Another, Mint, said she wanted to hear how K-pop songs would sound rearranged for a full orchestra, noting that Red Velvet's "Feel My Rhythm" had already nudged her toward listening to classical music day to day. Both said the concert exceeded expectations and moved them to tears, and that they would return for similar shows even without a K-pop guest artist, since the orchestral versions revealed new details in songs they thought they already knew well.
Mook said such reactions represent the project's real success. "The success of SM Classics isn't measured by how many K-pop fans come to the concert," she said. "It's about people leaving the hall with a new perspective, that classical music isn't out of reach, and that Thailand has musicians, orchestras and production teams whose abilities are on par with the world." She added that Thailand already has the musicians, venues and production teams needed to host more international orchestral events, pointing to Prince Mahidol Hall and the TPO's experience with similar crossover productions, and said she hopes projects like SM Classics help build a new generation of concertgoers in Thailand.
