15th Korea Opera Festival to kick off on Saturday

A scene from the opera “Hansel and Gretel,″ produced by The Muse Opera [KOREA OPERA FESTIVAL]

The 15th Korea Opera Festival is set to kick off Saturday and will continue until July 7.

This year, however, the number of operas was cut down to five, unlike previous editions, which raised the curtain on eight each year.

The reduction is because the festival was unable to receive any government grants this year, the organizers said in a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera House in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Thursday.

The festival was initially largely supported by the Arts Council Korea (Arko), a state-run cultural institution, receiving 450 million won ($330,500) each year.

For this edition, the festival has been ineligible to receive funds, leaving the participating opera companies no choice but to cover their own expenses. Though a specific reason was not given regarding the exclusion, local reports say that there have been communication problems with the festival’s organizers and Arko.

Some opera companies had to drop out of the festival because of insufficient funds, ultimately forcing a reduction in scale overall.

“Just because we were unable to receive government support doesn’t mean that the 15-year event must end,” said Shin Sun-seop, the chairman of the Korea Opera Festival Organization.

“We’ll go forth with the festival for now, and next year we will find a different solution to continue it. Securing more theatergoers is one method that will help, even without support from the government.”

The 15th edition will be held at venues inside the Seoul Arts Center, putting on “The Great Puccini,” “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Madama Butterfly,” “La serva padrona” and “Hansel and Gretel.”

“The Great Puccini” commemorates the 100th anniversary of Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini’s death and features sopranos Cho Sun-hyung and Seo Sun-young, tenors Shin Sang-geun and Park Sung-kyu, and more.

“Le nozze di Figaro,” or “The Marriage of Figaro” in English, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786. The protagonist Figaro is played by bass singer Sonn Hye-soo and baritone Choi Byung-hyuk.

“Madama Butterfly” is one of Puccini’s most renowned works, composed in 1904. The tragic love story is set in Nagasaki, Japan, and stars the likes of soprano Lim Se-kyung and tenor Lee Seung-muk.

“La serva padrona” and “Hansel and Gretel” are suitable for family audiences with children.

The full schedule and additional information are available on the Korea Opera Festival’s website. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 250,000 won and can be purchased by calling the Seoul Arts Center (02-1668-1352) or Interpark (1544-1555).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]