Autumn Light at Cheongwadae Filled with K-Classic Melodies

Ministry of Culture to Host '2023 Blue House Concert' Next Month
Featuring Sunwoo Yekwon, MAMAMOO, Ko Young-yeol, and More

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the National Opera Company will hold K-Classic performances at the Blue House helipad on the 9th and 10th of next month. This is the '2023 Blue House Concert.'

The first performance is an orchestra stage blending K-Classic, gugak (traditional Korean music), and K-pop. Seokwon Hong, the permanent conductor of the Gwangju City Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5," and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." Pianist Yekwon Sunwoo, the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will also perform Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." Sorikkun (traditional Korean vocalist) Youngyeol Go will sing songs filled with uniquely Korean excitement such as "Buk," while Moonbyul and Solar of the K-pop group Mamamoo will seek new expansions of classical music through their voices.

The second performance features Korea's representative vocalists including Samuel Yoon, Ahkyung Lee, Junmo Yang, and Sekyung Lim. They will perform famous opera arias such as Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," as well as charming Korean songs like "Sanchon" and "Singosan Taryeong." The National Symphony Orchestra and the Korean Adopted Children’s Choir will present "Arirang" and "Nella Fantasia" under the baton of Professor Yoonseong Jang from Seoul National University. The Korean Adopted Children’s Choir is composed of publicly adopted children. They have been changing social perceptions of adoption by singing about harmony and healing.

The general director is Jungwoong Yang, who directed the successful opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Recently, he also received acclaim for directing the play "Faust," a modern reinterpretation of a classic. Mr. Yang said, "Through a new attempt combining art and technology (media art and laser shows), classical music and popular songs, we will offer the audience emotion and joy." Park Bok-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed confidence, saying, "This is the second autumn since the Blue House returned to the people. It will be a stage where enchanting scenery and the melodies of K-Classic harmonize."

For more details and performance applications, please refer to the Interpark website.