Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Unveils This Year's Performance and Exhibition Lineup '2021 Sejong Season'

Kim Sung-kyu, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (fourth from the left), announcing the '2021 Sejong Season' on the 22nd at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, posing for a commemorative photo with heads of various departments.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Sejong Center for the Performing Arts unveiled its annual planned program, '2021 Sejong Season,' on the 22nd, covering March through December.

This year’s lineup consists of a total of 56 productions and 393 performances, along with 7 exhibitions, starting with the Seoul Opera Company's 'Romeo and Juliet.' Through the season system, Sejong Center has been promoting more systematic planning, production, marketing, and fundraising, providing new and diverse content every year.

Although a customized ‘package ticket’ for audiences was initially planned, due to ongoing uncertainties caused by COVID-19, annual package tickets will not be sold this year. However, if the COVID-19 situation improves, various forms of package tickets will be introduced. Ticket sales for individual performances of this year’s Sejong Season will begin on the 24th at 2 p.m. on the Sejong Center website.

The main features of this Sejong Season include ▲ expansion of new content such as domestic premieres and original works ▲ new concept fusion and convergence programs crossing various genres ▲ headline productions representing the Sejong Center brand ▲ increase in unique content through international cultural exchanges. This year, the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra, Dance Company, Choir, Musical Company, Theater Company, Opera Company, Children’s Choir, Youth Orchestra, and Youth Traditional Orchestra ▲ Seoul Arts Troupe’s new works and representative repertoire performances are more richly composed. The Sejong Art Gallery will continue to increase planned exhibitions to enhance the Sejong Art Gallery brand value.

The most notable aspect of the 2021 Sejong Season is the large number of domestic premieres and original works taking the stage. The Seoul Opera Company, opening the season, will present the grand opera 'Romeo and Juliet' by Charles Gounod, a representative composer of French Romanticism, themed on Shakespeare’s masterpiece ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ which has been loved for over 400 years. The opera will be performed at the Sejong Grand Theater from March 25 to 28 for three days. Hong Seok-won, former Kapellmeister of the Tirol State Theater in Innsbruck, Austria, will conduct, and Lee Hye-young, who has directed various works in Germany and Korea, will direct. Attention is focused on this younger opera created by world-stage vocalists and production staff including Kang Yo-seop, Moon Se-hoon, Park So-young, and Kim Yu-mi.

The Broadway hit new musical 'Beetlejuice' will be performed at the Sejong Grand Theater from June 16 to August 8. This is the world’s first Korean licensed premiere. Based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film ‘Beetlejuice,’ this production promises eye-catching visuals and spectacle with wildly imaginative and cheeky stage creativity, raising expectations for the work.

The play 'Perfect Strangers,' adapted from the Italian film of the same name, which has been remade in 18 countries worldwide including Korea and received great love, will meet audiences at the Sejong M Theater from May 18 to August 1. Director Min Junho, known for fresh sensibilities in each work, and writer Oh In-ha participate in the adaptation.

Since the opening of Sejong S Theater in 2018, the planned program ‘Contemporary S’ has expanded experimental works and presented diverse and challenging productions. This season continues new challenges. 'In the Garden We Loved,' performed at Sejong S Theater from June 22 to July 4, is adapted from Pascal Quignard’s work of the same name, which won the ‘Books and Music Award’ in Deauville, France, immediately after publication and became a hot topic. The performance involves director Oh Kyung-taek, writer Hwang Jung-eun, and music director Lee Jin-wook, implementing ‘immersive sound content’ and showing an elevated level of stage direction.

'Vienna Philharmonic & Riccardo Muti' will be presented at the Sejong Grand Theater on November 14. This is their first visit to Korea in 17 years since 2004. Founded in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic is indisputably the world’s top orchestra leading the best classical music of its time. The Seoul performance will be conducted by Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, who has collaborated most frequently with the Vienna Philharmonic among active conductors, drawing attention.

A new concept fusion performance collaborating with movies and games is also a highlight this season. 'League of Legends Live: The Orchestra,' which attracted attention last year as Sejong Center’s first game-themed performance planning but was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19, will be performed at the Sejong Grand Theater on April 2 and 3. This is Riot Games’ first-ever League of Legends (LoL) performance content in Korea, featuring representative pieces from the LoL game universe performed by the KBS Symphony Orchestra combined with giant LED visuals, promising a spectacular show in the grand theater.

Additionally, the French musical 'Notre-Dame de Paris' will be performed at the Sejong Grand Theater from November 17 to December 5; the second joint work series of the Seoul Arts Troupe, 'ART-9 Sejong,' titled 'Joseon Three Musketeers' will be held from September 17 to 19 at the Sejong Grand Theater; the Seoul Musical Company’s 60th anniversary production 'Fiddler on the Roof' will run from April 28 to May 16 at the Sejong Grand Theater; and last year’s premiere 'Little Women' will be staged from December 7 to 26 at the Sejong M Theater, all drawing attention.

The 'Hong Kong Week 2021@Seoul' (August 27 to September 5), featuring eight Hong Kong arts organizations, is also a noteworthy event. Co-hosted by Sejong Center and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department, this event is expected to contribute to global cultural exchange once COVID-19 stabilizes.

The Sejong Art Gallery will exhibit 'Next Art: An Artistic Journey into Pop Art and Media Art,' featuring paintings, sculptures, and video installations by British pop artist and designer Philip Colbert, from March 13 to May 2.

Programs such as 'Sejong Collector Story' (November 10?28, Sejong Art Gallery Halls 1 and 2), aimed at redefining the role of collectors and shifting social perceptions, and 'Mid-career Artists Exhibition' (December 3?26, Sejong Art Gallery Hall 2), supporting the creative activities of capable artists, will also be held.