Busan International Art Center Completion in 2024, Opening in 2025
Opera House Completion in 2025, Opening Scheduled for 2026
Plan to Establish Foundation Corporation After Operating City-Run Business Office
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dong-guk Lee] Busan City (Mayor Park Hyung-jun) is embarking on establishing a full-fledged operational system for the successful opening of the Busan Opera House and Busan International Art Center, which will become new landmarks of Busan.
The Busan International Art Center, being constructed in Busan Citizens Park, is currently 30% complete and is scheduled for completion in 2024 and opening in 2025. The Busan Opera House is under construction with a goal of completion in 2025 and opening in 2026.
The city announced that with the operational goals of ‘establishing a sustainable operational foundation, building a production theater system, and expanding access to basic arts,’ it will progressively implement five major strategies and ten detailed tasks: ▲forming an operational organization ▲creating an ecosystem ▲developing content ▲strategic promotion ▲facility expansion.
◆Gradual formation of operational organization and system establishment
To prepare a strategic operational organization in response to the new cultural landscape changes, the city conducted a current issue research project with the Busan Research Institute last year. After public discussions and opinion-gathering processes such as citizen forums and meetings, it decided to ▲operate initially as a city-run responsible operating agency and then gradually establish a foundation corporation.
This approach considers the new government’s public institution operation policy and the 8th municipal administration’s public institution innovation tasks, focusing on organizational stability, strengthening publicness, and securing expertise. Unlike the existing civil servant-centered organization, it will appoint capable open-type institution heads, invite reputable artistic directors, and hire specialized fixed-term civil servants to form a professional performance hall workforce.
To secure professionalism, autonomy, and efficiency of the operational organization, the city will ▲enact operational ordinances and promote designation as a responsible operating agency to strengthen the institution’s responsibility and independence.
◆Training professional personnel and establishing a production theater system
To provide opportunities for local artists to participate in opera performances and to train professionals, the city will ▲actively nurture season members. It will directly recruit and select about 100 orchestra, choir, and dance troupe members to participate in the Busan Opera season productions.
Since 2021, the Busan Opera season performances, produced in a public theater production style, will contribute to creating a local performance ecosystem in connection with the season member nurturing project. This year, full operas and concert opera works will be presented to citizens from August to October at the Busan Cultural Center and Geumjeong Cultural Center.
◆Expanding the classical music base through pre-performance events
In June this year, the city will hold the ▲International Art Center Preview performance, an outdoor classical festival for citizens, inviting world-class artists at the lawn square of Busan Citizens Park. Additionally, it will support opera productions mainly by private opera groups and promote a ▲small-scale opera festival to expand the opera base.
◆Brand development and spreading citizen consensus
To raise awareness of the new performance venues and spread citizen consensus, the city has launched a ▲new performance venue brand development project, including institution name contests, CI·BI development, and promotional product development for use in publicity and marketing.
It will also pursue various ▲fundraising measures such as expanding facility rental income, developing tourism-linked performance products, naming rights and seat sponsorship for the performance halls, and proposing amendments to the Donation Act to establish a system for supporting performing arts.
◆Expanding professional music facilities to broaden artists’ activity stages
Furthermore, the International Art Center will install the ▲pipe organ, the first in a non-capital region, to reduce regional cultural disparities and secure symbolic status as a professional performance hall.
Called the king of instruments, the pipe organ will not only enhance the brand value of the International Art Center as a classical music-dedicated theater but is also expected to contribute to expanding the activity stages of local cultural artists by offering a wide range of performance programs.
Additionally, preparations are underway to expand high-quality performance facilities, including creating a ▲variable black box theater capable of producing small-scale operas, dance, theater, and immersive content, fitting the identity of an opera-specialized performance hall.
Kim Ki-hwan, Director of the City’s Culture and Sports Bureau, said, “We are doing our best to discover various projects and establish systems for the successful opening and sustainable operational foundation of the Busan Opera House and Busan International Art Center. We will focus on expanding participation of Busan’s cultural artists and nurturing professionals, and provide citizens with diverse cultural enjoyment opportunities.”
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