Korea Times Spring Concert to feature maestro Chung Myung-whun

Maestro Chun Myung-whun will lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra for The Korea Times Spring Concert at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, April 17. Courtesy of KBS Symphony Orchestra

This year’s Korea Times Spring Concert will feature maestro Chung Myung-whun, who will lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Bizet's opera "Carmen" in Seoul on April 17.

The concert will offer a rare opportunity to hear one of Korea’s most renowned conductors, who is currently serving as the orchestra’s music director. He is also an internationally recognized musician. Last year, he was appointed to lead La Scala, the historic opera house in Milan — regarded as the birthplace of opera — starting in 2027.

The upcoming performance will mark Chung’s second full opera-in-concert with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in 29 years. In 1997, he conducted Verdi’s “Otello.”

The concert will also highlight Chung’s long-standing relationship with the orchestra. He first conducted the ensemble in 1972 at the age of 19, later serving as its fifth chief conductor in 1998 and becoming its first conductor laureate in 2021. Last year, he was reappointed as the KBS Symphony Orchestra’s music director.

“Under the baton of Chung, an authority in opera conducting, ‘Carmen’ is poised to reveal new layers of dramatic and musical depth. The concert-format staging invites the audience to lean in and savor the music itself, promising an experience of heightened, lingering emotion,” the orchestra said.

Originally premiered in 1875, “Carmen” tells the story of a free-spirited woman and her tragic love affair with Don Jose, a soldier fatally drawn to her.

The opera remains one of the most beloved works, admired for its unforgettable arias such as “Habanera” and the “Toreador Song,” which are also popular among Korean opera fans and the general public.

The maestro and the orchestra have invited a world-class cast to join the performance.

Russian-born mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova will sing the role of Carmen, while Mexican American tenor Galeano Salas will perform as Don Jose. Bass-baritone Kim Byung-gil, active as a soloist in Germany, will take on the role of the bullfighter Escamillo, with soprano Kim Soon-young portraying Micaela.

Kolosova has performed leading roles at many of the world’s major opera houses, including “Carmen” at the Arena di Verona; “Nabucco” at the Zurich Opera House; “Un Ballo in Maschera,” “Madama Butterfly” and “Rigoletto” at the Bavarian State Opera; and “Eugene Onegin” at the Munich Opera Festival.

Salas has also appeared at leading opera venues worldwide, including in “Rigoletto” at La Scala in Milan; “La traviata,” “La boheme” and “La rondine” at the Arena di Verona; “Die Fledermaus,” “Der Rosenkavalier” and “Falstaff” at the Bavarian State Opera; and “The Merry Widow” at the Teatro Colón.

Founded in 1950, The Korea Times is the oldest English-language daily in Korea. Its classical music series has featured artists such as flutist Jasmine Choi, pianist Son Yeol-eum and violinists Han Soo-jin and Inmo Yang.

The concert will take place at Lotte Concert Hall. For more information, visit www.lotteconcerthall.com.