Seoul Arts Center Strengthens Status as Production Theater... May Premiere of New Opera 'Mul-ui Jeongryeong'

Play "Yakiniku Dragon" Celebrates 60 Years of Korea-Japan Relations
In May: Ballet "Swan Lake" and "Paris Opera Gala"
Symphony Festival April 1-20... 18 Orchestras to Participate

The Seoul Arts Center strengthens its status as a producing theater by presenting the world premiere opera "The Water Spirit" this year. It also expands exchanges with domestic and international arts organizations, staging the play "Yakiniku Dragon," which tells the story of a Korean-Japanese family, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations.

The Seoul Arts Center has unveiled its planned performances for 2025.

In May, the new opera The Rising World: The Water Spirit will have its world premiere. This work, created by an international creative team, interprets the unique themes of Korea’s water spirit and water clock with a modern sensibility. It is a two-act, 120-minute opera performed in English. Steven Osgood, acclaimed for conducting new operas such as Dead Man Walking and Grounded at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, will conduct. Justin Way from Teatro Real in Spain will direct, and Australian composer Mary Finsterer and playwright Tom Wright, both affiliated with the global music publisher Schott Music, will participate. The cast includes world-renowned vocalists such as soprano Hwang Sumi, mezzo-soprano Kim Jungmi, and tenor Robin Tritschler. Performances of The Water Spirit are scheduled for May 25, 29, and 31.

In November, a meaningful stage commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations will be presented. Last year, the Seoul Arts Center signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the New National Theatre Tokyo to promote cultural and artistic exchanges, laying a new foundation for cooperation in performing arts between the two countries. The play Yakiniku Dragon, which depicts the story of a Korean-Japanese family in the Kansai region of Japan in 1969, will be the first fruit of this collaboration. The work received enthusiastic acclaim in both Korea and Japan when it premiered in 2008.

In July, ballet performances will be presented consecutively. From July 19 to 27, the Universal Ballet will perform the classic ballet Swan Lake, followed by the Paris Opera Ballet Etoiles Gala from July 30 to August 1. The Paris Opera Ballet Etoiles Gala is a spectacular stage featuring the star dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. Top dancers including Park Se-eun, the first Asian principal dancer, Amandine Albisson, Blue-Eun Battistoni, Mathieu Ganio, and Germain Louvet will showcase the essence of French ballet. Notably, this performance will be Mathieu Ganio’s final Korean stage before his retirement, symbolizing the history of the Paris Opera Ballet since the 2000s.

On August 23 and 24, the SAC Opera Gala will follow. Conductor Hong Seok-won will lead the National Symphony Orchestra, and director Eom Sook-jung, known for her delicate and sophisticated productions, will direct.

The play Rendezvous, which explores the complex inner world of humans and fundamental questions about life through the story of a man suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and a woman who must overcome life alone, will be presented at the Jayu Small Theater in April and May. During the summer vacation, the Children and Family Festival will feature the children’s dance Yap! Yap! Yap! and the musical Dal Shabet. Yap! Yap! Yap! is a creative work by the National Contemporary Dance Company in 2024 that invites children into the world of dance. Dal Shabet, adapted from Baek Heena’s picture book, premiered at the 2023 Children and Family Festival and received favorable reviews.

This year, the Music Hall will host over 80 diverse planned performances, including the World Star Series, Ensemble Series, and Contemporary Music Series. The 37-year-old Symphony Festival and the 5th International Music Festival will also offer even richer stages.

The World Star Series will feature four performances. It opens with the "Handel Project" by Ren? Jacobs and the B’Rock Orchestra, led by the master of early music Ren? Jacobs. They will perform Handel’s first oratorio, La Resurrezione, among other works. Soprano Lim Sun-hye, Katerina Kasper, countertenor Paul Figuier, and tenor Thomas Walker will join. In August, a duo concert by tenor Baek Seok-jong and soprano Sondra Radvanovsky will be held, followed in October by a performance featuring pianist Sunwoo Yekwon and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In November, the Czech string quartet Pavel Haas Quartet will perform Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 and Beethoven’s last string quartet No. 16.

The Ensemble Series will present three stages. In June, the "Kronberg Ensemble Invitation Concert," featuring young masters from the German Kronberg Academy, will be held. Violinists Steven Kim and Fujika Mori, violist Park Ha-yang, cellist Anuschka Haak, and pianist Shin Chang-yong will perform. On June 25, Johan Dalene, winner of the 2019 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, will make his Korean debut with a solo recital, playing Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 8 and works by Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, and Ravel. In November, Korea’s leading mid-career violinist Baek Ju-young and Pnina Collins, chair of the Clara Haskil Piano Competition jury, will perform the "Baek Ju-young & Pnina Collins Duo Concert," featuring the complete violin sonatas of Brahms.

The Contemporary Music Series, established as a signature series of the Seoul Arts Center, Choi Soo-yeol’s Around 9 PM, will meet audiences twice in July and November. The The Next Series, a fresh stage for young Korean performers gaining attention on the world stage, will feature double bassist Yoo Si-hyun and violinist Kim Seo-hyun, among others.

The 37-year-old 2025 Seoul Arts Center Symphony Festival will be held from April 1 to 20, with participation from 18 symphony orchestras nationwide. Performers such as Lee Byung-wook of Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, David Lee of Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, and Kim Sun-wook of Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra are expected to fully showcase the individuality and capabilities of their orchestras. Collaborators include China’s Qiao Yuan Luo, Japan’s Sayaka Shoji, and Russia’s Arseny Moon.

The 2025 Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival will take place from August 5 to 10. The program includes "the philosopher of the cello" Steven Isserlis, the French chamber ensemble Trio Vanderer, and the Geister Duo, visiting Korea for the first time.

Matinee performances will continue as well. The 11 o’clock Concert with Hanwha Life will feature witty commentary by actor Kang Seok-woo, and concerts conducted by Lee Byung-wook and Hong Seok-won will engage audiences. Pianist Kim Yong-bae will provide delicate commentary, contributing to the popularization and expansion of classical music.