Around Town 1

Violinist Lim Ji-young and violist Matthew Lipman will be the next performers featured in this series./Courtesy of Kumho Art Hall ⓒ Jiyang Chen

Classical Concerts

2019 KBS Symphony Orchestra
Gangdong Art Center
June 27

Originally affiliated with KBS, the KBS Symphony Orchestra became a professional arts organization in 2012 with the goal to provide world-class classical performances both domestically and internationally. The orchestra and its members participate in over 100 performances a year, and they have performed in a number of countries ― the United States, Japan and China to name a few. They also represented Korea at the United Nations and have performed in front of presidents and other honorable audiences. At this performance, they will be playing pieces by Khachaturian, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.
Tickets cost 30,000 won to 50,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Beautiful Thursday Concert Series: Lim Ji-young and Matthew Lipman
Kumho Art Hall Yonsei
June 13

The Kumho Art Hall features a performer every Thursday to spread classical music culture in Korea. Violinist Lim Ji-young and violist Matthew Lipman will be the next musicians featured in this series. Lim won the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2015 in Brussels, establishing herself as an international violinist at the young age of 20. She was the first Korean violinist to win. She has also won in competitions in Japan and in the United States. Lipman has been recognized by the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune as a talented and memorable performer. He has performed as a soloist on multiple occasions with orchestras like the Minnesota Philharmonic and the Julliard Orchestra. He has also recorded several albums. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Julliard. At the concert, the two artists will perform works of Mozart, Martinu and Halvorsen.
Tickets cost 50,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Big Tickets

Park Hyo-shin Live 2019 Lovers: Where is Your Love?
KSPO Dome
June 29 to July 13

Park Hyo-shin is one of the nation's most famous ballad singers and musical actors today. He was born in 1981 and made his debut in 1999, after which his music career skyrocketed. With 440,000 copies of his debut album sold, Park showed incredible potential from the very start of his career. To date he has released seven studio albums along with several compilation and cover albums. He has won the Golden Disc Awards, the KBS Music Awards and the Cyworld Digital Music Awards to name a few. He starred in musicals "Elisabeth," "Mozart!" and "Phantom" among several others.
Tickets cost 77,000 won to 164,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Jason Mraz 2019 Good Vibes Tour
Olympic Park
July 24

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz started off performing in local coffee shops in San Diego. He made his debut in 2002 with his first album "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," and he became widely popular when the album hit No. 55 on the Billboard charts. Since then he has released five more studio albums. He has also won several Grammy Awards, Teen Choice Awards and People's Choice Awards among many others. In addition to music, he is also an advocate of the environment and human rights issues and opened the Jason Mraz Foundation in 2011. He will be coming to Seoul this summer as part of his Good Vibes Tour.
Tickets cost 110,000 won to 132,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Pop and Jazz

Seoul Park Music Festival 2019
Olympic Park
June 15 to 16

This summer, Seoul will host a series of music festivals to celebrate music culture and the summer. On June 15 and 16, Seoul Park Music Festival 2019 will bring together some of the nation's top artists. Genres range from hip-hop to soul to jazz. There will be around 20 artists for the festival with BeWhy, Suran, and Zion.T being among them. There will be three main stages: the Park Stage, the Tune-up Stage and the Groove Stage. The festival will be for audiences aged 19 and over.
Tickets cost 53,000 won to 89,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Plays & Musicals

Another Country
Uniplex
Until Aug. 11

This play was originally written by Julian Mitchell, an English playwright. The play revolves around a gay student named Guy Bennett, who attends an English public school. After another gay student at the school hangs himself after being outed, Bennett is the next target of persecution from social pressures and school prefects. Bennett's best friend Judd is a Marxist who tries to help him. The two realize the difficulties of being outcasts and the flaws of the British class system. The Korean adaptation will show at Uniplex by a talented cast including Lee Dong-ha, Park Eun-seok and Yeon Joon-seok in the role of Bennett.
Tickets cost 44,000 won to 66,000 won.

"Xcalibur," the musical, will be on stage at the Sejong Arts Center until Aug. 4./Courtesy of EMK Musical

Xcalibur
Sejong Arts Center
June 15 until Aug. 4

The musical "Xcalibur" is about King Arthur and his adventures with Excalibur, his powerful and legendary sword. First performed in 2014 in Switzerland, the musical also revolves around Lancelot and other brave Knights of the Round Table, showing how they fought bravely for the sake of the kingdom. The Korean cast has adapted the musical to have more songs and a more intricate storyline. Full of top musical actors and singers, the cast includes Junsu, Kai and Lee Jee-hoon.
Tickets cost 70,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

This musical will show at the LG Arts Center this summer./Courtesy of Seensee Company

Mamma Mia!
LG Arts Center
July 16 to Sept. 14

Well-loved musical "Mamma Mia!" will hit the Korean stage this summer. A musical based on the songs of legendary group ABBA, the musical includes hits such as "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes it All," and "Take a Chance on Me." It was adapted into a film in 2008, which was also widely popular. The plot revolves around Sophie, who is getting married but does not know who her birth father is. By delving into the story of three of her mother's past loves, Sophie learns more about her mother and her possible birth fathers. The Korean cast includes Luna and Lee Su-bin as Sophia as well as Choi Jung-won and Shin Young-sook as Donna.
Tickets cost 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Anna Karenina
Blue Square
Until July 14

This musical is set in 1870s in Russia and revolves around Anna, who is unhappy in her marriage. When she meets the young and handsome Count Vronsky, she falls in love with him, starting a complicated and secret relationship. Count Vronsky has love complications of his own, after having pursued a different woman at court before meeting Anna. The musical is based on the original novel by Leo Tolstoy, and was adapted into a musical with music by Konstantin Khvatynets. A star-studded Korean cast including Kim So-hyun and Cha Ji-yeon playing the role of Anna will perform the Korean adaptation of this musical.
Tickets cost 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Dance

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company: Step Up
Seoul Arts Center
June 6 to 16

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC) seeks to bring its audiences contemporary genres while retaining its traditional dance roots. Step Up will be divided into four parts, each created by a different choreographer: "Transformation" by Lee Eun-kyung, "Dinner" by Lee Jae-young, "Og" by Jung Chul-in, and "Disappearing Strongly" by Choi-Kang Project. Each of the artists brings their creativity to the table with diverse themes ranging from expression of knowledge to different perspectives. A total of 11 dancers will take the stage for Step Up.
Tickets cost 20,000 won to 30,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 1544-1555.

Clubs

Club Octagon
Nonhyeon

Located near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, Club Octagon is notable for its stylish interiors and elite clientele. The club features a performance stage, lounge bar and dining area and is the perfect place to unwind on a night out after work or on the weekend. It is near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on 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 on Line 6. For more information, call (02) 792-1127.

Club Evans
Hongik University

Club Evans is a live music club that has served as a platform for emerging jazz artists for a decade. It also operates jazz recording studios, where it produces albums for many local jazz artists, and a jazz academy. Club Evans holds jazz concerts and music sessions every Monday and Tuesday. Opening at 7:30 p.m., Club Evans is located near exit 1 of Sangsu Station on Line 6. For more information, visit clubevans.com or call (02) 337-8361.

Once in a Blue Moon
Apgujeong

Once in a Blue Moon, one of the best-known jazz clubs in the city, 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 Apgujeong. For more information, visit onceinabluemoon.co.kr or call (02) 549-5490.

Club Vibe
Cheongdam

Opened on August 24, 2018, Cheongdam brings to partygoers its latest club. Its new facilities have a modern vibe. The club plays both EDM and hip hop music and has already had a guest performance by trending hip hop artist Sik-K at its opening party. For more information, call 010-8671-6323.