[Stage Voices]Korea's Leading Opera Festival Left Without Government Support for Fourth Consecutive Year

Government Funding Shrinks from 1 Billion Won

Need to Consider High Production Costs Unique to Opera

The 17th Korea Opera Festival will officially open on May 22, marking its third consecutive year without government support. Along with the Daegu International Opera Festival, it is considered one of Korea's leading opera festivals. However, as government funding continues to decrease, there are growing concerns that the very foundation of the festival is at risk.

The Korea Opera Festival was established as a flagship performing arts festival nurtured by the government. At one point, the amount of government support reached as much as 1 billion won.

The festival's support system was reorganized in 2020. It shifted from a project directly designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to a competitive grant program run by the Arts Council Korea, with funding from its Culture and Arts Promotion Fund. Opera industry insiders say that during this process, the scale of support for the festival gradually shrank. In 2024, the Arts Council switched from a multi-year (three-year) support system to a single-year grant, and the Korea Opera Festival failed to secure funding through the council's competition. No funding was received last year either.

This year, the Korea Opera Companies Association, which oversees the festival, applied for a grant of 500 million won but was only approved for 100 million won. However, internal conflict arose regarding how to use the funding. With support cut off for two consecutive years and the festival's status significantly weakened, some argued that the budget should be focused more on publicity rather than supporting performance companies.

Opera performance photo

Regarding the issue, the head of a private opera company commented, "I understand both sides, and it is a situation where I cannot side with either." He explained that there are many areas that need funding, but with such a small grant, conflicts are inevitable.

No agreement was ultimately reached on how to use the grant, and the association decided to return the funding. To make matters worse, since the funds were returned after the deadline, the festival will not be able to apply for a grant at all next year.

The reduction in government funding has led to a smaller festival. In the past, around 10 productions were staged during the festival period, but this year, only four works will be presented, including two small-theater pieces.

The Korea Ballet Festival is another project developed by the government as a flagship performing arts festival. Launched around the same time as the Korea Opera Festival, it is now in its 16th edition this year. The Korea Ballet Festival received 390 million won in funding this year, but this is also half of what it used to be.

At a press conference for the Korea Ballet Festival last month, the head of a private ballet company expressed a sense of desperation: "It is extremely difficult for private ballet companies to book the Seoul Arts Center, which is Korea's top performance venue. The ballet festival gives us a rare opportunity to perform there once a year. That is why the ballet festival is so precious to us."

Opera companies are likely to feel the same way about the opportunity to perform at the Opera Festival. It is time for the government and the opera community to come together and seek solutions.

Opera is a comprehensive art form that combines vocal and instrumental music. In addition to lead singers, it requires large numbers of orchestra members, chorus singers, and dancers, so production costs are inevitably high. The opera community has voiced complaints that the government's review process lacks an understanding of these genre-specific characteristics. This is why dialogue is necessary. Although the government says it has considered fairness with other festivals, it seems necessary to question whether it has excessively reduced support for a project it has developed as a flagship performing arts festival, and fundamentally, whether there is a way to increase the overall budget for all performing arts festivals.

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