"Carmen" and "The Barber of Seville"... 16th Korea Opera Festival Opens June 6

Seven Productions Staged Until July 13
Grand Finale with the Original Opera "Dosan"

The 16th Korea Opera Festival will open on June 6, 2025, at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Hosted by the Korea Opera Companies Association, the 16th Korea Opera Festival will run for just over a month until July 13, 2025, featuring a total of seven performances by seven companies: four full-length traditional operas, two small theater family and children's operas, and one original opera. The Korea Opera Festival was launched in 2010 to broaden the base of opera in Korea.

The 2025 16th Korea Opera Festival will raise its curtain at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater with Bizet's "Carmen" (June 6-8, Opera Theater). Set in 19th-century Spain, this opera tells the story of the fatal love and tragedy among the gypsy woman Carmen, the naive soldier Don Jose, and the toreador Escamillo. Through these characters, the opera explores the clash of human desires and the yearning for freedom. The work features many arias, such as "Habanera" and "The Toreador Song," that are familiar even to audiences who may not have seen an opera before.

This will be followed by Puccini's masterpiece "La Boh?me" (June 13-15, Opera Theater). Depicting the lives and loves of aspiring artists in Paris, this opera beautifully captures both the splendor and the transience of life. The story centers on the love and parting of the bohemian artist Rodolfo and the pure-hearted woman Mimi, with its warm sensibility and lyrical melodies touching the hearts of the audience. Famous arias include "Mi chiamano Mimi" and "Che gelida manina."

The next production will be Rossini's representative comic opera "The Barber of Seville" (June 20-21, CJ Towol Theater). With its fast tempo, witty dialogue, and charming characters, this opera delivers laughter and delightful inspiration. "The Barber of Seville" is filled with humor, satire, and social messages within a cheerful story that transcends social status, making it an opera that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Well-known arias include "Largo al factotum" and "Una voce poco fa."

Mozart's renowned opera "Don Giovanni" (July 4-6, Opera Theater) will follow. Based on the Spanish Don Juan legend, this masterpiece blurs the line between opera buffa (comic opera) and opera seria (serious opera). The work portrays the pleasure-seeking nobleman Don Giovanni's pursuit of hedonism and his resulting downfall, perfectly blending Mozart's genius for music and satirical drama to depict human desire, sin and punishment, and an unredeemed fall.

The original opera "Dosan" (July 11-13, Opera Theater) will be the final production of the 16th Korea Opera Festival. This work tells the story of the life and philosophy of Dosan Ahn Changho, a Korean independence activist, educator, and political thinker. Under the question "What is a true life for the nation?", the opera expresses Dosan's life of personal sacrifice, patriotism, and the path of national enlightenment through moving music and drama.

Since 2022, the Korea Opera Festival has consistently presented children's operas to secure future opera audiences and to promote the sustainable development and revitalization of the opera genre. This year as well, two children's operas, "Miles and the Three Musketeers" (June 28-29) and "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" (July 5-6), will be performed at the Jayu Small Theater.

"Miles and the Three Musketeers" tells the story of a small mouse named Miles who loves to sing and his animal friends, each with their own musical dreams, as they embark on a tumultuous musical journey together. The opera is designed to bring laughter and emotion not only to children but also to family audiences across generations. The entire performance will be conducted in Korean, tailored to the eye level of children.

"Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" is an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale into opera. This production, in particular, features a Korean-language adaptation and arrangement suited to Korean sensibilities, making it easier for children to understand and immerse themselves in the story. With Korean children's songs, folk-style melodies, rhyming rap, and K-pop style dance choreography, the production aims to offer a fresh and enjoyable stage experience even for young audiences unfamiliar with the opera genre.