AROUND TOWN 1

• Published Dec 24, 2015 4:29 PM KST
• Updated Dec 24, 2015 4:29 PM KST

‘Beethoven's Choral Symphony'

Seoul Arts Center

Dec. 27

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a concert at Seoul Arts Center on Dec. 27.

The orchestra will play Symphony No. 9, Op. 125 "Choral" by Beethoven, based on the poem by Friedrich Schiller that prays for the harmony of people around the world. The score of ‘Choral' has been recorded in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Chung Myung-whun will conduct the orchestra. Soprano Hong Ju-young, mezzo soprano Paik Jae-eun, tenor Kim Charles and bass Park Jong-min will perform.

Tickets cost 10,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call 1588-1210.

‘Richard Yongjae O'Neill Viola Recital'

Jaeneung Culture Center

Dec. 30

Grammy-nominated violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill will stage a concert at Jaeneung Culture Center on Dec. 30.

O'Neill has accompanied orchestras around the world, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, LA Philharmonic Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Seven solo albums and one best of album have been released. O'Neill appeared on TV for founding and conducting an orchestra comprised of children of marriage migrants.

Tickets cost 80,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2138-7373 or visit www.jeijcc.org.

Boohwal

Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Center

Boohwal will hold a 30th anniversary concert on Dec. 27 at the Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Center.

Debuting in 1985, Boohwal is a rock band comprised of four members, and has released 13 albums. Led by guitarist Kim Tae-won, the band went through several lineup changes. Kim Jong-seo, Park Wan-gyu and Lee Seung-chul, now considered to be the top male vocalists, were once members of Boohwal. Some of their hits are "Heeya," "The More I Love," "Rain and Your Story" and "Never-Ending Story."

Former vocalists will collaborate with current Boohwal members this time. Kim Tae-won will talk about the history and unrevealed stories of the band as well.

Ticket prices range from 88,000 to 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 515-1217.

Soilwork

West Bridge Live Hall

Feb. 26, 2016

Legendary Swedish rock bank Soilwork will hold a concert in Korea at West Bridge Live Hall on Feb. 26, 2016.

Following their first visit to Korea in 2003 during the Busan International Rock Festival, the band will have their first solo concert in Korea. Led by vocalist Bjorn "Speed" Strid, Soilwork consists of six members. Their albums such as "Figure Number Five" and "Natural Born Chaos" drove the band into stardom in the early 2000s.

Ego-fall, a Mongol-based Oriental metal band who performed at the Busan International Rock Festival in 2015, will appear as a special guest at the concert.

Tickets cost 77,000 won. For more information, call (02) 716-7977.

Kim Ga-on and Woongsan

Dream Forest Art Center

Dec. 26

Jazz pianist Kim Ga-on will perform with Woongsan at the Dream Forest Art Center on Dec. 26.

After graduating from the Department of Composition Studies, Kim Ga-on studied Jazz at Berklee College of Music and NYU. He started performing in Korea from 2008. Woongsan is a jazz vocalist who mainly performs in Korea and Japan. She received the Best Jazz & Crossover Album Award at the Korea Popular Music Awards in 2008 and Jazz Criticism's Jazz Disc Grand Prize award in 2011.

Tickets cost 18,000 won. For more information, visit www.dfac.or.kr or call (02) 2289-5401.

Hi-Lite Records

AX-Korea

Hi-Lite Records, one of Korea's hip-hop labels, will have a family concert on Dec. 27 at AX-Korea.

HI-Lite Records was founded in 2010 by Paloalto. The label carries rappers and DJs including B-Free, Huckleberry P, Soul Fish and Okasion. Under the slogan of "My Life So Bright," each members of the label has been actively performing. In 2013, the compilation album "Hi-Life" was released. The label merged with CJ E&M in October 2015.

Tickets cost 55,000 in advance and 60,000 at the door. For more information, call (02) 6092-3711.

Park Jung-hyun and Fly to the Sky

Kyung Hee University Hall of Peace

Dec. 29-31

Park Jung-hyun and Fly to the Sky will have a joint concert at Kyung Hee University Hall of Peace from Dec. 29-31.

Since her debut in 1998, Park has been beloved for her distinctive voice. She is an R&B vocalist with hits such as "In a Dream," "My Day" and "P.S. I Love You." Park showed up in the reality audition TV show "I am a Singer." Fly to the Sky is a male R&B vocalist duo. The group made its debut in 1999 and released albums that cross diverse genres beyond R&B.

Tickets cost 88,000 to 143,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

Byeon Jin-seop

Jan. 23

A star from the 1990s, Byeon Jin-seop will hold concerts around Korea next year; the biggest one being at Kyung Hee University.

Recently, Byeon has appeared on a variety of television shows _ “Joo Byeong-jin’s Bangja Jun,” “I Am a Singer,” and “Gwangwhamun Concert show.”

Tickets cost 77,000 to 99,000 won. For more information, visit www.interpark.com.

Yim Jae-beom

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Feb. 13-14

Yim Jae-beom is holding two 30th anniversary concerts at the Sejong Center on Feb. 13 and 14 under the title, “After the Sunset: White Night.” His last concert was in 2013. As the legendary vocalist has put in two-and-a-half years of preparation for his 30th anniversary, it is expected to be one of his better concerts.

Breaking a long break after the collaboration album with Ali in 2011 and his concert in 2013, he will perform all-time favorites, “For You,” “Pain,” and “Confession.”

Tickets cost 88,000 to 154,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212.

‘Muhan Dongryeok'

Daehangno TOM Theatre 1

Through Jan. 3, 2016

The musical "Muhan Dongryeok" will be performed until Jan. 3, 2016 at Daehangno TOM Theatre 1.

The story is about young and discouraged 20-year-olds, such as Jang Seon-jae who can't get a job, Kim Sol who has only maintained herself with part-time jobs over four years, and Jin Ki-han who pretends to prepare for the civil servant bar exam but in reality is addicted to computer games.

They live in a common rent house, where they become close. The musical is inspired by the web cartoon "Muhan Dongryeok" by Joo Ho-min.

Tickets cost 50,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

‘A Dwarf Who Loved Snow White'

KT&G Sangsang Art Hall

"A Dwarf Who Loved Snow White" will be staged until Jan. 3, 2016 at KT&G Sangsang Art Hall.

The musical has been staged over 3,000 times in 135 performing centers and is praised as "a fairy tale for adults." It depicts the story of Snow White and the youngest dwarf "Ban-dal," who has crush on Snow White but does not want to confess his love to her.

Tickets cost 50,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212 or (02) 556-5910.

‘Chicago the Musical'

D Cube Art Center

Through Feb. 6, 2016

"Chicago the Musical" will be performed until Feb. 6, 2016, at the D-Cube Art Center.

The musical has been performed in more than 34 countries over 19 years, becoming the second-longest-running performance on Broadway in 2014. The cast includes famous Korean stars IVY, Cho Jeong-won, Lee Jong-hyeok and Sung Gi-yun.

Tickets cost 50,000 to 130,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

‘The Orchestra Pit’

LG Arts Center

Through Feb. 28, 2016

An orchestra pit is the area in theater in which instrumentalists perform. ‘The Orchestra Pit’ is a musical depicting what happens there, showing an array of crazy incidents. Derived from Mitani Kouki’s “Okepi,” the Korean version stars Hwang Jung-min and Oh Man-seok in the main role of conductor, along with actors, Seo bum-seok, Yoon Gong-ju, and Park Hye-na.

Performances last until Februrary 28 at the LG Arts Center.

Tickets cost 50,000 to 140,000 won. For further information, call (02) 6925-5600 or visit www.lgart.com.

‘Troops on the Tree’

A Japanese play ‘Troops on the Tree’ is having its Korean premiere at Seoul Arts Center. This theatrical work centers on the life of soldiers, dealing with killing others during a war. Inoue Hisasi, who is often called the Japanese Shakespeare and Hori Ryuta wrote the original play directed by Kurimaya Tamiya, which was well received in Japan. In Korea, Kang ryang-won directs the show.

Tickets cost 35,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 766-6007.

‘Don't Sigh'

Daehangno Arts Theater

Dec. 26-27

This is the first special performance by Physical Design Performance Company. It uses dance to portray the psychological purification process of breathing. People inhale and exhale in different ways in different situations. When someone is in a difficult situation, he or she breathes deeply. The performance was conceived from the complex feelings behind a sigh.

Tickets cost 20,000 to 30,000 won. For more information, call 010-9145-4354.

‘The Nutcracker’

Through Dec. 27

The Korean National Ballet led by Kang Sue-jin presents Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker.’ Seoul Arts Center’s ‘Nutcracker’ is the only performance with an orchestra playing the music. The orchestra is directed by Stuttgart Ballet’s James Tuggle. Using Yuri Grigorovich’s original choreography, it will be filled with classical dance steps and spectacular moves.

The Korean National Ballet performs until Dec. 27.

Tickets cost 5,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 580-1300.

Club Octagon

Nonhyeon

Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The club offers a stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. It is near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.

Club Globe Lounge

Itaewon

Club Globe Lounge is famous among women looking for a place to throw birthday parties or enjoy a light dinner. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., it serves as a bar, changing into a club after 10 p.m. Every Thursday, Club Globe Lounge has a Happy Hour buffet for guests. Club Globe Lounge is located near the Hamilton Hotel by exit 2 of Itaewon Station, subway line 6. For more information, call (02) 792-1127 or visit globeloungekr.com.

Club Evans

Hongik University

Club Evans is a live jazz club that has served as a platform for emerging jazz artists for a decade. It operates jazz recording studios and a jazz academy as well, producing albums for many local jazz artists. Club Evans provides jazz concerts and leads music sessions every Monday and Tuesday. Club Evans is located near exit 1 of Sangsu Station, subway line 6. It opens at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (02) 337-8361 or visit

www.clubevans.com.

Once in a Blue Moon

Apgujeong

Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best-known and well-established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong Intersection and Galleria Department Store in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit

www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.

Club Answer

Cheongdam

Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs in Seoul by CNN, provides a spacious interior and brilliant lighting system with entertaining DJs on stage nightly. Club Answer is in the classy area of Cheongdam, a district known to lead the party culture of Seoul. It is located near exit 13 of Cheongdam Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 514-4311 or visit

www.clubanswer.co.kr.

Club Double Eight

Sinsa

Opened in 2010, Club Double Eight takes clubbing to its heights. Located in Gangnam, it provides diverse hotel promotions and features weekend lineups with exuberant DJs. It is located near exit 1 of Sinsa Station on subway line 3. For more information, call (02) 543-8803 or visit cafe.naver.com/doubleeight.