Around Town 1
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Classical Concerts
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Seoul Arts Center*
Feb. 6-7
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will make Korean debut in its 121-year history. Lorin Maazel, music director of Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, will lead the company instead of Riccardo Muti who had surgery recently for an inguinal hernia.The orchestra will perform Stravinsky’s “Divertimento” from “The Fairy Kiss,” “Busoni’s Suite” from “Turandot” and Brahms’ “Symphony No.2 in D major” on Feb. 6. Verdi’s overture to “I Vespri Sicilliani,” Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3” will be performed on Feb. 7. Tickets cost 70,000 to 360,000 won. For more information, call (02) 751-9606 or visit
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Rafal Blechacz
Feb. 13
Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz, who won first prize at the 15th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in 2005 at the age of 20, will hold a recital in Seoul. He will play Bach’s “Partita in A minor No. 3,” Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major Opus 10,” Chopin’s “Nocturne in A major Opus 32, No. 2,” “Mazurkas Opus 63” and “Polonaises Opus 40 in A major in C minor.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, call (070) 8680-1277 or visit
Helene Grimaud
Jan. 29
French pianist Helene Grimaud will hold a recital in Seoul. She will play numbers from her recent album “Resonances.” They will include Mozart’s “Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor,” Berg’s “Piano Sonata Opus 1,” Liszt’s “Piano Sonata in B minor” and Bartok’s Folk Dances.” She was born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France in 1969, became the youngest student at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris at the age of 13 and made her first recording, a Rachmaninov sonata at 15. Tickets cost 30,000 to 100,000 won. For more information, call 1577-5266 or visit
London Symphony Orchestra
Feb. 28-March 1
Maestro Bernard Haitink will lead the London Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. With Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, the orchestra will perform Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7” on Feb. 28 and Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 9” on March 1. Haitink was a violinist and switched to conducting in his early 20s. He had been with Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for 25 years and visited Korea with the orchestra in 1977. Tickets cost 70,000 to 35,000 won. For more information, call (02) 599-5743 or visit
2013 Gum Nanse Festival
Chungmu Art Hall
Jan. 30-Feb. 2
The Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Gum Nanse, will hold concerts in Seoul for four days from Jan. 30. With different themes each day, the orchestra will perform numbers from musicals, opera, jazz, soundtracks and ballet. Located near exit 9 of Sindang Station, subway line 6. Tickets cost 20,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2230-6624 or visit
Museums
The Year of the Snake: The Many Faced Snake Between Imagination and Reality
National Folk Museum of Korea
Through Feb. 25
This exhibition at the National Folk Museum of Korea features the snake, which is the animal representing this year according to the Chinese zodiac, and is considered a creature of immortality to Koreans. About 40 items including craftwork, paintings and books are on display. Located near exit 1 of Anguk Station, subway line 3. For more information, call (02) 3704-3114 or visit nfm.go.kr.
History in Glass: 3,000 Years of Glassware from the Mediterranean and West Asia
National Museum of Korea
Through Feb. 17
This exhibition introduces the history of glassware production in the Mediterranean and West Asia regions where glassware was invented. A total of 375 pieces from the collection of the Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum in Japan are on display. The show is comprised of three sections: early ancient glass; glassworks made by the blowing technique; and glassware of the Sassanid Persian Empire, which it invented using a new production method. Located near exit 4 of Ichon Station, subway line 4 and Jungang Line. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 2077-9559 or visit
Big Tickets
Patti Smith
Uniqlo AX
Feb. 2
American singer-songwriter Patti Smith will hold a concert in Seoul to celebrate her 11th studio album “Banga,” released on June 1, 2012. The 65-year-old Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer will sing pieces from her album such as “This is the Girl” and “Nine” and her hit “Because the Night” in her first concert in Korea. Located near exit 2 of Gwangnaru Station, subway line 5. Tickets cost 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 563-0595 or visit
Pop & Jazz
Acoustic Cafe
Feb. 8
Japanese trio Acoustic Cafe will hold a concert in southern Seoul. Comprised of cellist Ayako, pianist Rie Nishimoto and the violinist and keyboardist Norihiro Tsuru, the band was formed in 1990 in Japan. They held their first concert in Korea in 2008 after their song “Last Carnival” gained popularity here. The band will perform hits such as “For Your Loneliness,” “For Your Memories” and “For Your Tears.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 338-3513 or visit
Rachael Yamagata
Samsung Hall, Ewha Womans University
Feb. 23-24
American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata will perform in Seoul. Having debuted in 2004 with studio album “Happenstance,” she was acclaimed as the best new female singer-songwriter by Rolling Stone magazine. “Be Be Your Love” and “Duet” were hits in Korea. She released her latest EP “Heavyweight,” last November. Located near exit 2 of Ewha Womans University Station, subway line 2. Tickets cost 88,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3143-5156 or visit
Kim Jae-joong
Kintex
Jan. 26-27
Kim Jae-joong, a member of boy band JYJ, will hold concerts at the Kintex, Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Kim will sing numbers from his solo album, released on Jan. 17. The concert “Your, My & Mine” will consist of three parts: a fan meeting, a showcase and live performance. Located near exit 2 of Daehwa Station, subway line 3. Tickets cost 66,000 to 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 511-1459 or visit
‘K-pop Concert with Poseidon’
Feb. 14
K-pop stars TVXQ, Super Junior K.R.Y, a subgroup of boy band Super Junior and ZE:A will hold a Valentine’s Day concert at the Kintex, Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. The three bands participated on the soundtrack of KBS TV’s drama “Poseidon,” which aired in 2011. They will sing their hits and numbers from the soundtrack. Located near exit 2 of Daehwa Station, subway line 3. Tickets cost 60,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3487-5520 or visit
Adam Lambert
Feb. 17
American singer-songwriter Adam Lambert will hold a concert in Seoul. He debuted in 2009 through TV program “American Idol.” In his first visit to Korea, he will sing such hits as “Whataya Want from Me,” “Time for Miracles,” “Better than I Know Myself” and “Cuckoo.” Located near exit 2 of Gwangnaru Station, subway line 5. Tickets cost 119,000 won. For more information, call (02) 407-2589 or visit
‘2013 United Cube in Seoul’
Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, Olympic Park*
The record label Cube Entertainment will hold a concert in southern Seoul. The company’s K-pop artists 4minute, BEAST, G.Na, BTOB and Roh Ji-hoon will perform. They will start their Asia tour in Nanjing, China on Jan. 26, and after performing in Seoul, they will move on to Yokohama, Japan on Feb. 21. Tickets cost 66,000 to 88,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6013-2905 or visit interpark.com.
Plays & Musicals
‘Arsene Lupin’
Blue Square
Feb. 16-May. 5
Arsene Lupin is a fictional character who appears in the book series by French novelist Maurice Leblanc. He is a gentleman thief and detective, and has captured readers’ affection for more than 100 years since the novel was first published in the magazine Je Sais Tout in 1905. Kim Da-hyun and Yang Jun-mo will perform as the phantom thief Lupin in this musical production. The work, produced over 2 years, is set in Paris in 1910 and starts with the jewels of Marie Antoinette disappearing one by one. Located near exit 2 and 3 of Hanganjin Station, subway line 6. Tickets cost 60,000 to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 544-1591 or visit
‘Rebecca’
LG Arts Center*
Through March 31
Based on Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel of the same title, the musical “Rebecca” is on stage in Seoul. The novel was also made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 as his first American project, and won two Academy Awards. Yoo Jun-sang, Ryu Jung-han and Oh Man-seok perform as wealthy widower Maxim DeWinter who cannot forget his late wife Rebecca. Im Hye-young and Kim Bo-kyung will perform as “I” who falls in love with DeWinter while traveling to Monte Carlo. Tickets cost 50,000 to 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114.
‘Our Bad Magnet’
Daehangno Art One Theater
Through Jan. 27
A production of Scottish playwright Douglas Maxwell’s “Our Bad Magnet,” is underway in Daehangno, central Seoul. The play focuses on four friends who have known each other since the age of 9 in Girvan, Scotland. Now 29-year-old men, Fraser, Paul and Alan reunite, recalling memories of their late friend, Gordon. Located near exit 2 of Hyehwa Station, subway line 4. Tickets cost 35,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, call 1566-7527.
‘Bring Me My Chariot of Fire’
National Theater of Korea
Jan. 30-Feb. 3
“Bring Me My Chariot of Fire,” written by Korean-Japanese playwriter Jung Eui-shin, is coming to the stage. The play is set in Gyeongseong, the name of Seoul in the early 20th century, and is about the friendship between traveling entertainer Soon-woo (Cha Seung-won) and Naoki (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) who runs a night school for poor people. Located near exit 6 of Dongguk University, subway line 3. Tickets cost 20,000 to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2280-4114 or visit
Dance
‘Romeo and Juliet’
Feb. 14-17
The Korea National Ballet presents a version of “Romeo and Juliet” created by legendary French choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot of the Monte Carlo Ballet Theater. Kim Seh-yun, a principal dancer of the Spanish troupe Compania Nacional de Danza will perform as lady Capulet, the mother of Juliet. Tickets cost 5,000 to 80,000 won. For more information, call (02) 587-6181 or visit