This Fall, the Vienna Philharmonic and Mariinsky Ballet Will Come to Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Sejong Center 2020 Sejong Season Announced... 54 Works, 393 Performances
Mariinsky Ballet and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to Perform in Main Theater in November
President Kim Sung-kyu "Strengthening the Status of Production Theater... Integrated Performances This Year in September"

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mariinsky Ballet, regarded as the world's finest orchestra and ballet company, will take the stage at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater this fall.

On the 6th, the Sejong Center held a press conference for the '2020 Sejong Season' and announced that a total of 54 productions will be performed 393 times, including 22 classical and opera works, 8 plays and musicals, 7 Korean traditional music performances, 9 choral works, and 7 dance, ballet, and circus performances, starting with the Seoul Dance Company's 'N.O.T. (No One There)' on March 12-13 at the Grand Theater.

Kim Sung-kyu, president of the Sejong Center, explained, "The four characteristics of the 2020 Sejong Season are ▲ diversification and segmentation of the Sejong Center Great Series content ▲ expansion of children and family content ▲ strengthening of original content by nine arts groups reflecting contemporary themes ▲ performances presented through exchanges with overseas productions."

The Great Series is a planned brand established by the Sejong Center in 2018 to commemorate its 40th anniversary. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Mariinsky Ballet performances will be presented as part of the Great Orchestra and Great Ballet series, respectively.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performance will be held on November 3 at the Grand Theater. The concert will be conducted by Valery Gergiev, the world-renowned Russian conductor, with soloist Denis Matsuev, the winner of the 11th Tchaikovsky Competition.

The Great Ballet Series is a newly introduced segmented program this year, featuring the Mariinsky Ballet performing at the Grand Theater from October 29 to November 1. The Mariinsky Ballet will present three works?'Carmen,' 'The Young Man and Death,' and 'Paquita'?in an omnibus format. Approximately 100 leading dancers, including Kim Ki-min, the Mariinsky Ballet's principal dancer, will visit Korea for this performance.

Kim Sung-kyu, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, is explaining this year's performance plans and details at the '2020 Sejong Season' press conference held at Sejong Center on the 6th.
Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

President Kim emphasized, "As a representative complex cultural arts space in Korea, we will also elevate our status as a producing theater." In this regard, he stated that integrated performances involving all nine affiliated arts groups, such as last year's 'The Independent Army in Front of the Theater,' will continue.

Kim said, "Although not all nine affiliated arts groups will participate as they did last year, integrated performances will continue," adding, "This year's integrated performance is scheduled for September."

The artistic director for this year's integrated performance will be Han Jin-seop, director of the Seoul Musical Company. Han explained, "The tentative title for the integrated performance is 'Bong-i Kim Seon-dal,' and preparations are underway."

Kim added, "The response to last year's integrated performance 'The Independent Army in Front of the Theater' was better than expected," and "June 7 this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Bongodong, so we plan to hold 'The Independent Army in Front of the Theater' again as an outdoor performance to coincide with this."

Unique performances not seen in previous Sejong Seasons also attract attention. The Canadian circus troupe Machine de Cirque will perform 'La Galerie' at the M Theater in November, and Korea's first game concert, the League of Legends Concert (LoL Concert), will be newly introduced. The LoL Concert will be a new convergent media performance combining game footage with the grand orchestral sound of the KBS Symphony Orchestra.

Kim Sung-kyu, president of the Sejong Center, said they are considering allowing smartphone use during the LoL Concert. He also mentioned that they are reviewing a plan to permit beverages at the Harry Potter film concert series, which received a good response last year, aiming to introduce new ways to enjoy performance culture.

Kim said, "We will become a young and vibrant Sejong Center," adding, "This year, we will also reorganize the naming system of performance venues and create new CI (Corporate Identity) and BI (Brand Identity)."

Conveniences for people with disabilities will also be expanded. Kim Sung-kyu stated, "The Sejong Center still has many shortcomings to declare itself a barrier-free venue. The M Theater is the most difficult venue for people with disabilities to access, so we will continuously improve facilities, including installing an elevator this year to make it more accessible."

The musical 'My Left and Right Feet,' which can be enjoyed by audiences with autism or physical disabilities, will be performed for the first time in Korea at the Sejong M Theater. 'My Left and Right Feet' is a cheerful barrier-free musical based on the autobiographical story of Robert Sopli Gale, a director and writer with cerebral palsy. The performance will include subtitles, sign language, and audio descriptions.

Additionally, as part of the Great Musical Series, 'Mozart!,' which premiered at the Sejong Center Grand Theater in 2010, will return to the Grand Theater stage to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The rock musical 'Murder Ballad,' which has received enthusiastic responses on Broadway in New York, is also scheduled. 'The Sound of Music' and 'Little Women' await audiences as well.

Performances for children and family audiences are also being prepared in various ways. The Sejong Children's Series 'Five, One,' designed for the emotional development of infants who use strollers, will be presented at the Sejong S Theater. Kim Sung-kyu announced plans to establish a Dream Tree Musical Company this year in addition to the currently operating Dream Tree Orchestra and Dream Tree Korean Traditional Music Group.

The Seoul Youth Korean Traditional Music Group is preparing 'When the Wind Blows, I Know It's You,' which reexamines the history of democratization with passionate music to mark the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. The Seoul Opera Company will stage Rossini's opera buffa 'The Barber of Seville' and Puccini's 'Tosca.' In December, the Universal Ballet will perform 'The Nutcracker' at the Grand Theater, and the Seoul Theater Company will present the Shakespeare series family musical 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in January next year.

Kim Sung-kyu said, "Looking back on last year, it seems we smoothly carried out most of our plans. This year's slogan is 'Enjoy Sejong.' With a renewed spirit, we will strive to become a Sejong Center that is even more loved by citizens without losing our original intention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.