August 5-10 at the Seoul Arts Center over 6 days
Featuring symphonic and chamber music from Baroque to contemporary, [Seoul=Newsis] ‘2025 Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival’ poster. (Photo provided by Seoul Arts Center) 2025.07.07. [email protected] *Resale and database storage prohibited
[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Jo Ki-yong: Seoul Arts Center announced on the 7th that it will host the ‘2025 Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival’ from August 5th to 10th.
This international music festival, organized in collaboration with the Korea Performing Arts Management Association, began in 2021 as the ‘Summer Music Festival’ and was renamed to its current name last year.
Now in its 5th year, the festival plans a total of 11 invited performances and 5 ensemble performances. It will showcase a variety of works ranging from symphonic, chamber, Baroque, to contemporary music.
The festival will open on the 5th with conductor Lawrence Renes and the SAC Festival Orchestra performing Strauss’s ‘Gala’. Renes, who served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera for a long time, will showcase his musical talents in opera and symphonic music.
The SAC Festival Orchestra comprises artists active on the world stage, including London Symphony’s lifetime member bassist Im Chae-moon, 2014 Pablo Casals Competition winner cellist Moon Tae-guk, Munich Philharmonic’s principal trumpeter Alexandre Baty, and NDR Elbphilharmonie’s principal flutist Han Yeo-jin, adding to the musical prowess.
They will also perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 ‘Titan’ on the closing day, the 10th.
On the 6th, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), a resident ensemble at Carnegie Hall, will take to the stage. Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will collaborate to perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27.
[Seoul=Newsis] ‘2025 Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival’ invited performance poster. (Photo provided by Seoul Arts Center) 2025.07.07. [email protected] *Resale and database storage prohibited
On the 7th, the Geister Duo, consisting of pianists David Salmon and Manuel Vieillard, will make their debut in Korea, performing works by Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and others. Pianist Kim Se-hyun, who won the piano category at the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in March, will perform works by Mozart, Fauré, and Chopin.
Additionally, cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih will collaborate, and the French Trio Wanderer and pianist Zhang Haochen will take the stage at the festival.
Meanwhile, this year’s invited performances at the festival were limited to chamber music. Ensemble HwaDam will open with the world premiere of composer Lee Jung-hyun’s new work, Funeral Playlist #1.
During the festival, performances by Jeong Ji-soo & Baroque in Blue, Novelty Quartet, Brass Arts Seoul, and Ast Quartet will follow in sequence.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased on the Seoul Arts Center website, through their call center, or via NOL Ticket.