A New Theater Experience at Sejong Center: 'Gourmet Dining and Music Appreciation'

Introducing 'Sejong Inspiration'
Collaboration with Chef Choi Hyun-seok

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts introduces 'Sejong Inspiration,' offering a new theater experience that goes beyond watching performances to include gourmet dining and music appreciation.

On April 17, in the lobby of the Grand Theater at Sejong Center, star chef Choi Hyun-seok will present the 'Heritage Dinner' commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Seoul Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra’s founding. On April 28, the 'Listening Stage,' where audiences can lie down comfortably on the Grand Theater stage and enjoy music, will be introduced. Sejong Inspiration aims to expand the realm of art beyond performances to ultimately achieve fusion with various genres.

The first program of Sejong Inspiration, the Heritage Dinner, offers a gourmet experience that encompasses both tradition and modernity. Participants can enjoy a commemorative dinner prepared by star chef Choi Hyun-seok in the Grand Theater lobby, transformed into a banquet hall.

Chef Choi Hyun-seok
Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, (c) Choidot

Chef Choi Hyun-seok will personally introduce the menu developed by reinterpreting the artistic qualities of the Seoul Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra?who have pursued harmony between tradition and contemporary times?through cuisine on the day of the event. The commemorative dinner, consisting of five courses including amuse-bouche, appetizer, pasta, main course, and dessert, features fusion Korean dishes that modernize traditional flavors, such as handmade sujebi vongole with Korean texture, royal galbijjim with vibrant obangsaek colors, and dessert shaped like sumaksae roof tiles.

The Seoul Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra will hold the '60th Anniversary Heritage' performance in the Grand Theater on April 18, the day after the Heritage Dinner.

On April 28, the 'Listening Stage' offers a unique theater experience themed around the music of the Seoul Ballet’s upcoming May performance, 'Johan Inger - Walking Mad & Bliss.'

Audiences can lie comfortably on the stage of the Sejong Center Grand Theater and listen to three pieces: Maurice Ravel’s 'Bolero,' Arvo P?rt’s 'F?r Alina,' and Keith Jarrett’s 'The K?ln Concert.' To enhance immersion, the theater will be darkened, and audiences will lie on the stage rather than in the seats, exploring the depth of sound, spatial resonance, and the sensory experience created by the music.

Seventy bean bags (single-person soft chairs) will be installed for the Listening Stage. Additionally, an immersive audio system will be implemented on the Grand Theater stage to maximize auditory experience. Approximately 50 speakers will be installed around the stage and ceiling, enabling 360-degree surround sound that transcends flat two-directional audio to encompass front, back, left, right, up, and down.

'Bolero' is an orchestral piece composed by Ravel in 1928 at the request of dancer Ida Rubinstein. It is characterized by a repetitive rhythmic pattern that gradually intensifies. This program features the version of Bolero recorded by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit in 1982.

'F?r Alina' is a piece by Estonian-born contemporary composer Arvo P?rt. Pursuing beautiful emotion within simplicity, it was composed using the spiritual minimal music technique called 'tintinnabuli,' meaning 'the ringing of bells.' 'F?r Alina' is the first work in the tintinnabuli style, characterized by a meditative sense where sound and silence coexist within minimal notes and long pauses.

Keith Jarrett’s 'The K?ln Concert' is a legendary album recorded live on January 24, 1975, at the Cologne Opera House in Germany. Jarrett had to perform without any rehearsal due to poor conditions, and the piano used had inconsistent high and low tones and a non-functional pedal. Through this one-time performance, Jarrett became a legendary icon of free and pure improvised music and jazz.

Ahn Ho-sang, president of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, stated, "To overcome the crisis in performing arts, theaters must continuously evolve and provide new stimuli to potential audiences." He added, "We aim to present a new paradigm for performance venues by introducing the fusion of gourmet dining and music and free variations beyond the boundary between stage and audience." He further explained, "Gourmet dining is also a form of art," and emphasized, "We will not limit ourselves to genres but will fuse and expand all areas of art to lower the barriers between arts, strengthening the function of the venue as a true complex cultural space."

The 'Heritage Dinner,' combining performance and gourmet dining, is limited to 50 people and lasts about 100 minutes. Early reservations for 2025 Sejong Season subscribers and Sejong S Membership members begin at 10 a.m. on April 1, with general sales starting at 10 a.m. on April 2. The price is 200,000 KRW.

The 'Listening Stage' lasts about 90 minutes and is limited to a maximum of 70 participants. Early reservations for Sejong Season subscribers and Sejong S Membership members start at 10 a.m. on April 9, with general sales beginning at 10 a.m. on April 10. The price is 30,000 KRW.

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