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Korea launches first National Gugak Day, honoring legacy of traditional music
South Korea officially marked its first-ever National Gugak Day on June 5 with a series of cultural events designed to spotlight the continued relevance of traditional Korean music. Declared by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon during a commemorative ceremony at Gyeongbokgung, the new national day aims to bridge the past and present by raising public interest in gugak and activating the gugak-centered cultural industry. “To promote gugak, revitalize its cultural industries, and
June 6, 2025 -
16th Korea Opera Festival to feature classics, originals and family works at Seoul Arts Center
Korea’s leading celebration of opera returns this summer with the 16th edition of the Korea Opera Festival, featuring seven new and classic operas running from June 6 to July 13 across all three theaters of the Seoul Arts Center: the Opera House, CJ Towol Theater and Jayu Theater. Organized by the Korea Opera Companies Association, the annual event brings together seven private opera companies to stage a lineup that includes canonical masterpieces, newly created Korean operas and productions tai
June 6, 2025 -
French Baroque arias take center stage at Hanwha Classic
For this year’s Hanwha Classic, French Baroque takes center stage in a one-woman opera performed by renowned French soprano Patricia Petibon and Ensemble Amarillis, performing in Korea for the first time. Titled “Flammes de Magiciennes” — or “Flames of Sorceresses” — the performance weaves together arias from French Baroque operas to create a five-act narrative centered on Medea, a mythological figure who enacts a brutal revenge driven by love, passion and betrayal, and Circe, a powerful sorcere
June 4, 2025 -
Prokofiev's satirical opera 'The Love for Three Oranges' to make full-production Korean premiere
“L’Amour Des Trois Oranges,” or “The Love for Three Oranges,” a satirical opera by Ukrainian-born composer Sergei Prokofiev, will get its first full-scale production in Korea more than a century after its 1921 premiere in Chicago. Adapted from an 18th-century play by Carlo Gozzi, the opera blends absurdist comedy, fairy-tale fantasy and biting political satire. A melancholic prince, cursed by the witch Fata Morgana to fall in love with three oranges, embarks on a surreal quest to find these magi
June 3, 2025 -
Interview: Korean adaptation of ‘Carthage’ draws steady support for universal themes
For British playwright Chris Thompson, “Carthage” holds a special place in his heart. It was his debut work, the first of his plays to be adapted into another language and an honest response to his 12 years of service as a social worker in London. And now, in its third run, the Korean-language production of "Carthage," staged by theater company Secret Base under the direction of Shin Jin-ho, is enjoying yet another sold-out run. In Korea for the first time to see a performance, Thompson describe
June 3, 2025 -
K-Musical Market opens with focus on global collaboration, financial sustainability
The fifth edition of the K-Musical Market kicked off Monday in Daehangno, Seoul’s vibrant small theater district, launching a weeklong program aimed at strengthening Korea’s position in the global musical theater ecosystem. Opening with a forum titled “Evolving Factors Behind Box Office Success in the Global Musical Market,” the event brought together leading producers, licensing executives and cultural policymakers from Korea, the US, the UK, Japan and China to exchange insights on internationa
June 2, 2025 -
Pianist Cho Seong-jin cancels performances in Europe due to medical issues
Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin has canceled three performances in Europe this week due to medical issues. His concerts scheduled for Sunday at Tivoli in Copenhagen, Denmark; Tuesday at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Germany; and Wednesday at the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Italy, have been canceled due to "urgent non-invasive surgery," according to the organizers. His recital in Singapore on June 9 at the Esplanade Concert Hall is set to take place as scheduled, according to the c
June 1, 2025 -
MODAFE to promote global talent with new international dance competition
The 44th edition of the International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE), the country’s longest-running festival for modern and contemporary dance, returns this year under the theme “Open to All, Creation is Omnivorous.” This year, the festival signals a bold transformation into a global creative platform that welcomes the participation of artists from around the world. The newly launched international competition program, International Spark Place, is a signature initiative that reflects MODAFE’s s
May 30, 2025 -
Park Sueye triumphs at International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
Three years after violinist Yang In-mo became the first Korean to win the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, fellow Korean virtuoso Park Sueye claimed the top prize at the competition’s 13th edition, held in Helsinki on May 29. Founded in 1965 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ birth, the competition is held every five years and is regarded as one of the most demanding and respected violin competitions in the world. Past winners include legendary
May 30, 2025 -
Music to fill Gyeongbokgung for Gugak Week
In a sweeping celebration of sound and culture, the National Gugak Center is set to host the inaugural National Gugak Day on June 5, transforming the heart of the capital into a vibrant stage for Korea’s traditional music. The newly established national commemoration aims to spotlight gugak’s enduring relevance — bridging the traditional and the contemporary. The Gugak Week, a 10-day cultural festival running from June 5 to 15, will offer the public a rich array of performances, hands-on experie
May 28, 2025 -
'I Invite you to my funeral': 83-year-old actress stages her own farewell
On Sunday, on the windswept shores of Sunpo Beach in Gangneung, 83-year-old actor Park Jeong-ja broke into a shoulder-shimmying dance. She wore a green floral dress that fluttered in the sea breeze and a pair of red shoes. But this was no ordinary festival -- it was a scene from her upcoming film, "Between Cheongmyeong and Gogu" (tentative), directed by actor-director Yoo Jun-sang. The scene being filmed was a funeral -- specifically, that of the character “She,” played by Park. But in a rare an
May 26, 2025 -
Shakespeare’s 'Twelfth Night' gets Joseon-era makeover
Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night" will be reimagined as a Joseon-era (1392-1910) comedy in a new production by the National Theater Company of Korea, running June 12 to July 6 at the Myeongdong Theater in Seoul. The beloved comedy is transported to a coastal Joseon village, giving the play a Korean cultural flair while remaining faithful to the original's whirlwind of romantic mischief and mistaken identities. The story begins with twin siblings Shin-ae and Mi-eon being separated by a shipwreck, eac
May 25, 2025 -
Don't rain on my opera: Seoul to stage ‘The Magic Flute’ under the stars
What if it rains during an open-air opera performance? That’s the question for the organizers of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera’s outdoor production of Mozart’s "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute), scheduled for June 1 and 2 at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. With fingers crossed -- and some cautious optimism drawn from weather data -- they’re hoping the skies will stay clear, not just for comfort, but because they have a grand plan for transforming the city center into an open-air opera stag
May 21, 2025 -
'The First Great Show' reimagines origin of Korea's musical theater
Don’t take the title "The First Great Show" too seriously. The new musical by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre may be about the beginnings of Korean musical theater — loosely inspired by the real story of the Yegreen Troupe, Korea’s first private company founded in 1961 to pioneer original musicals — but the show itself doesn’t aim to be a reverent history lesson. After all, making a “great” show is hard for anyone — let alone the first-timers who were inventing the genre as they went. The
May 20, 2025 -
Dance takes over Busan beaches as International Dance Festival returns in June
For five days in early June, Busan will transform into a sprawling stage as the 21st Busan International Dance Festival brings contemporary movements to its beaches, cinemas and cultural centers. Running June 4-8, the festival is set to fill the city’s early summer beaches and urban landscape with the vibrant energy of dance from around the world. This year, more than 30 works will be performed by approximately 300 artists from 10 companies representing 15 countries. Performances will take place
May 19, 2025