Around Town 1
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Classical Concerts
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Seoul Arts Center*
Feb. 6-7
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will make its 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
Son Yeol-eum
March 7
Pianist Son Yeol-eum will perform her first recital in southern Seoul. She has received numerous awards including the Silver Medal at the 13th International Van Cliburn Piano Competition and second prize at the 2011 Moscow Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. The pianist will play Charles-Valentin Alkan’s “Opus 39, No. 12, Le festin d’Esope,” Chopin’s “Ballade No. 2 in F major,” “Mazurka in a minor,” Prokofiev’s “Sonata No. 8 in B flat major” and Kapustin’s “Eight Concert Etudes Opus 40.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 70,000 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. Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, who is known as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, will also visit Korea for the first time in 17 years. She will play Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 17” and Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.” The orchestra will also 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 was 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
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
JK Kim Dong-uk and Jazzpark Bigband
Yongin Cultural Foundation Big Harmony Yard
Feb. 24
Jazzpark Bigband, a 17-member Korean jazz group, and singer JK Kim Dong-uk will hold a concert at Yongin Cultural Foundation Big Harmony Yard, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Feb. 24. Kim who debuted in 2002 with his first studio album “Life sentence,” gained popularity by appearing in MBC’s show “I Am a Singer” in 2011. The singer who majored in jazz vocal at Humber College in Canada formed a jazz trio project “Zebra” in the same year. He will perform such numbers as “English Man in New York,” “Summertime” and “Fly Me to the Moon” with the band. Tickets cost 20,000 to 40,000 won. For more information, call (031) 260-3355 or visit
Acoustic Cafe
Feb. 8
Japanese band Acoustic Cafe will hold a concert in southern Seoul. Comprised of cellist Ayako, pianist Rie Nishimoto and violinist and keyboardist Norihiro Tsuru, the group was formed in 1990. 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
My Bloody Valentine
Feb. 3
Irish rock band My Bloody Valentine will perform in Seoul. Formed in Dublin in 1984, the band released studio albums “Isn’t Anything” in 1988 and “Loveless” in 1991. The band will release its new album this year. Located near exit 2 of Gwangnaru Station, subway line 5. Tickets cost 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6925-1818 or visit
‘K-pop Concert with Poseidon’
Kintex
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’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
‘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 Asian 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.
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
Plays & Musicals
‘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.
‘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
‘Late-Night Diner’
Dongsoong Arts Center
People love visiting the small “Late-Night Diner,” which opens from midnight to 7 a.m. Though there is only one item on the menu, the owner chef can cook up anything upon request from customers including dishes such as fried Wiener sausages or eggs. The musical uses food as a medium through which to connect the customers, allowing them to share memories and comfort each other. Song Young-chang and Park Ji-il play the taciturn and genial proprietor in this musical, which is adapted from the Japanese comic book of the same title. Located near exit 1 of Hyehwa Station, subway line 4. Tickets cost 30,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 766-3390 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
‘It Is Written There’
Gangdong Arts Center
Feb. 22-23
Japanese choreographer Zan Yamashita’s dance performance “It Is Written There” will be on stage with the Ahn Aesoon Dance Company. Since its first performance at the Itami Ai Hall in Hyogo, Japan, 2002, Yamashita has performed in Kyoto and Fukuoka in Japan, Brussels in Belgium and Istanbul, Turkey. In this piece, every audience member will be given a 100-page book on entrance, and will constantly be asked to turn the pages. The choreographers will perform different moves, as the stage host calls out the page numbers. Located near 4 of Godeok Station, subway line 5. Tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 440-0500 or visit