Seamarq to host culture festival

Singer Lee Seung-chul performs during last year's Seamarq Festival. / Courtesy of Seamarq Hotel

By Kang Seung-woo

The Seamarq Hotel is bringing back its annual festival to meet the growing appetite for cultural life among citizens who have fewer opportunities than Seoul residents.

The property, located in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, announced Thursday it will host the eight-day Seamarq Festival starting Saturday, featuring different yet high-quality performances.

The event, first held in 2016, will be held at the hotel's Arena outdoor theater and all performances are open to the general public as well as hotel guests free of charge.

The Seamarq Hotel, renamed from the Hotel Hyundai Gyeongpodae in 2015, has used the annual cultural event to raise its profile in the Korean hospitality industry dominated by Seoul-based properties _ a rare feat for a non-Seoul-based property to host such a large-scale festival.

“As a variety of cultural performances are heavily centered in Seoul and the surrounding area and cultural polarization and imbalance between regions is widening, the Seamarq is seeking to offer diverse cultural programs to local residents and help them enjoy culture and art,” said Kim Bo-ram, director of marketing and communications at the Seamarq.

In particular, the hotel is set to provide unforgettable memories to underprivileged young people in the region through the festival as it plans to invite 300 children to each of the eight programs featured.

“Every year, many students have the opportunity to have a cultural experience via the Seamarq Festival. In addition, it serves as a stage for local artists and cultural groups,” an official of the Gangneung Cultural Center said.

The festival has gained recognition for satisfying locals' cultural desires with different types of performances.

The Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province

Jazz vocalist Yun Hee-jung will raise the curtain Saturday performing diverse genres of jazz with the CEOJ Band.

She will sing the classic hit song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the movie masterpiece “The Wizard of Oz,” as well as “Fly Me To The Moon” and the decades-old song “Besame Mucho,” while performing together with her daughter, singer-songwriter Kim Soo-yeon.

The Outreach Concert of the PyeongChang Music Festival will also come to the Seamarq, Sunday, and will feature arias from operas “Carmen,” “L' Elisir d' Amore” and Tannhauser, as well as Korean songs including “Missing Mount Geumgang” at the Asantrium convention center.

The Gangneung Philharmonic Orchestra's classical concert, due Aug. 10, is another event not to miss.

Musicals also make the roster of the Seamarq Festival.

“The Short-Necked Giraffe Giffy,” which is a family musical, will be performed Monday, while Tuesday offers a musical gala concert featuring soprano Choi Joo-hee and actors who will sing songs from the so-called “Big Four” musicals “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables” and “Miss Saigon.”

Rock band lead vocalist Kim Jong-jin will host a music talk show, Wednesday, while veteran stage actress Park Jung-ja will also hold a visual concert to wrap up the event.

All events, except for the Outreach Concert, will be held at 8 p.m. and the 60-minute concerts begin at 7 p.m. In case of rain, they will move to the convention center.

“We are set to make the Seamarq Festival a classic event that will serve as a place to entertain local residents with a range of cultural performances and give guests unforgettable memories in Gangneung,” said Nam Sang-moo, the general manager of the hotel.

The Seamarq gained recognition during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February for hosting the media center.