Mapo Cultural Foundation to Present Debut "MAC Morning Concert" Matinee on the 25th

Fourth Wednesday of Every Month: Ten Concerts Through December
Featuring Violinist Song Ji-won and Mezzo-Soprano Kim Sunjeong

The Mapo Cultural Foundation will present the first performance of its newly planned "MAC Morning Concert" series at 11 a.m. on March 25, 2026, at the Art Hall MAC Grand Theater in the Mapo Arts Center. The MAC Morning Concert is a new matinee performance introduced by the Mapo Cultural Foundation this year. The French word "matinee" refers to a performance held during the daytime.

From March to December 2026, the Mapo Cultural Foundation will host a total of ten matinee performances under the name "MAC Morning Concert," held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. "MAC" is an acronym derived from Mapo Arts Center, reflecting the aim to provide a casual and enjoyable matinee concert experience.

Kim Yongbae, former president of the Seoul Arts Center, will serve as the concert guide and provide explanations of the performances. As a pianist, Kim Yongbae was the first to serve as president of the Seoul Arts Center, and he planned and participated as the inaugural concert guide for the center’s representative matinee series, the "11 o’clock Concert," leading the popularization of concerts accompanied by commentary.

At the first concert on March 25, conductor Kim Gwanghan will lead "Orchestra M," a special ensemble formed for the MAC Morning Concert. The program will feature both vocal and instrumental performances. The concert will open with Rossini’s overture to "The Barber of Seville," followed by violinist Song Ji-won performing Paganini’s "Violin Concerto No. 1." Mezzo-soprano Kim Sunjeong will perform "Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix" from the opera "Samson and Delilah" and "Habanera" from the opera "Carmen." In the second part, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 will be performed.

The second concert, scheduled for April 22, will feature conductor Jeong Heon, pianist Noh Yejin, and bassoonist Kwak Jeongseon collaborating on Tchaikovsky’s "Piano Concerto No. 1" and Vivaldi’s "Bassoon Concerto in E minor." Jeong Heon studied conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria, served as the sixth principal conductor of the Mokpo Philharmonic Orchestra, and is currently the third principal conductor of the Gyeongsan Philharmonic Orchestra.

On May 27, Maestra Yeo Jakyung will present Rodrigo’s "Concierto Andaluz for Four Guitars" and Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic suite "Scheherazade." "Scheherazade" is also well-known as the program music for "figure skating queen" Kim Yuna.

The Mapo Cultural Foundation stated that it will offer a diverse array of MAC Morning Concerts by combining conductors and collaborators active both domestically and internationally.

Ko Younggeun, CEO of the Mapo Cultural Foundation, said, "This new matinee series has been planned so that classical music can be easily and naturally enjoyed in everyday life through regular monthly performances," adding, "We will provide audiences with a special experience to start their day with the relaxation that music brings."

For more information and ticket reservations, visit the Mapo Cultural Foundation's official website.

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