Pop music

Ultra Music Festival Korea: The annual Ultra Music Festival, one of the world’s largest outdoor electronica music fests, will be in full swing in Seoul once again. Last summer’s event drew more than 80,000 EDM fans. Like last year, this year’s lineup will include a handful of world famous DJ acts including Steve Aoki, Above & Beyond, Steve Angello and Paul van Dyk. The festival will host its final event as part of its two-day show on June 14 at Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Stadium Complex. Tickets are listed at 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

Monni Rock Concert Vol. 3: Local rock band Monni debuted in 2005 with the studio album “The First Day, the Light.” Since then, the band has slowly climbed out of the small-time local club scene to play at some of the country’s most popular summer rock festivals. It has been nearly three years since Monni released a full studio album, and the group is making its return with its third album, “Follow My Voice.” Monni will put on a concert at the Gunpo Art Center in Gyeonggi Province on June 29. For more information on ticket prices and reservations, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

Hyundai Card City Break: The newly inaugurated Hyundai Card City Break music festival is returning for its second year and is slated to be headlined by big-name artists Maroon 5, Ozzy Osbourne, Psy, Hoobastank and many other notable acts. This year’s City Break festival promises to bring in more than 30 acts, with its first lineup including American rock guitarist Richie Sambora, U.S. indie-rock band The Neighbourhood and local talents Lee Juck and Nell. Last year’s inaugural event attracted more than 75,000 rock fans and included performances by Metallica, Muse, Iggy and The Stooges and Limp Bizkit, among others. The two-day music festival will be held on Aug. 9 and 10 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Tickets are listed at 230,000 won for a two-day pass, and Hyundai Card members will receive a 20 percent discount. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival: The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a three-day rock music fest, is one of the nation’s most popular summer music events. This year’s lineup will include popular English psychedelic-rock band Kasabian, Boys Like Girls and more to be announced soon. The festival will also include performances by a wide-range of local bands including Dear Cloud, PIA and Romantic Punch. In its eight-year history, Pentaport has hosted internationally notable acts such as Korn, Snow Patrol, Hoobastank, Deftones, Placebo and Fall Out Boy. This year’s Pentaport will be held from Aug. 1-3. For more information on ticket prices and reservations, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

Classical music

David Garrett concert: David Garrett, a crossover violinist who recently made his acting debut in the film “Paganini: The Devil’s Violinist” playing the legendary 18th-cenutry virtuoso Paganini, will perform live in Seoul and Busan on June 18 and 19. The Seoul concert will be held at Olympic Park, Jamsil-dong, while the Busan performance will be at BEXCO Auditorium. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 120,000 won. To purchase tickets, visit ticket.interpark.co.kr. 

Korean Symphony Orchestra: On June 19, the Korean Symphony Orchestra will present an all-Dvorak program in its first performance with conductor Lim Hun-joung, who became its artistic director in January.
The concert opens with the Czech composer’s Cello Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104, featuring the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal cellist Martin Lohr, and concludes with Symphony No. 9 in E-minor, “From the New World,” Op. 95. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at Seoul Arts Center, with tickets ranging from 10,000 won to 50,000 won. For details, call (02) 580-1300.

Ensemble DITTO: The famed ensemble DITTO will hold concerts on June 22 and 29 as part of this year’s DITTO Festival, which brings together young and talented musicians to make chamber music. DITTO, consisting of violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, violinist Stefan Pi Jackiw and cellist Michael Nicholas, will team up with Parker Quartet of the U.S. for the concerts. Both concerts will be held at Seoul Arts Center. Ticket starts at 25,000 won. For details, visit www.dittofest.com.

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande: One of Switzerland’s primary orchestras, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande will hold its first concert in Seoul in 23 years on July 15 at Seoul Arts Center. Led by rising Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada, the orchestra will play Swiss composer Arthur Honegger’s “Pacific 231,” which is rarely performed here, a Tchaikovsky violin concerto with Clara Jumi Kang as soloist and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” Op.35. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 240,000 won. For details, call (02) 599-5743.

Dance

“Giselle”: Korea’s Universal Ballet is celebrating 30 years with its revival of “Giselle,” one of ballet’s classic tales of passion and heartbreak. Regarded as one of the most well-known and widely performed ballet works of the Romantic era, “Giselle” is the nonverbal tale of a young peasant girl who dies of grief after being betrayed by her lover; yet instead of exacting revenge from the grave, she chooses to forgive and protect her lover from being haunted by evil spirits. “Giselle” will run until June 17 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, visit www.sacticket.co.kr.

“Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of Swan Lake this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago in the 18th century and has since become one of the ballet world’s most beloved comical productions. “Don Quixote” will run from June 26-29 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 80,000 won. For more information, visit www.sacticket.co.kr.

“Madama Butterfly”: Austria’s Innsbruck Dance Company is presenting its production of “Madama Butterfly” for three nights from July 4 at Seoul Arts Center in Seoul. An adaption of Puccini’s famous opera of the same name, the work was premiered in October last year in Austria. Kang Sue-jin, a principal dancer at Stuttgart Ballet and artistic director of the Korean National Ballet, will dance the lead role in all three performances. Ticket prices ranges from 40,000 won to 200,000 won. For details, call 1577-5266 or visit www.clubbalcony.com.

Theater

“Das Musical Mozart!”: An Austrian musical about the country’s greatest musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is starting its fourth run in Korea. “Mozart!” which opened on June 11, will run through Aug. 3 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. Veteran musical actor Im Tae-kyung will play Mozart, as he did in the three previous productions, sharing the role with Park Eun-tae and singer-turned-musical actor Park Hyo-sin. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won to 130,000 won. For details, call (02) 6391-6332 or visit www.musicalmozart.co.kr. 

“Cats”: The original production of the Broadway classic “Cats” is having its first Korean run in six years. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011, is the second-longest-running show in Broadway history. It tells the story of the Jellicles, a tribe of cats who assemble for their annual junkyard gathering at which one is chosen to be reborn to a new life. One by one, the kittens take center stage to make their case for rebirth, singing and dancing. “Cats” runs from June 13 through Aug. 24. It will be staged at Blue Square in Itaewon-dong. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363 or visit www.musicalcats.co.kr.

Play and Dance Art Festival: A hybrid performance of dance and theater will be staged at various venues in Seoul as part of the fourth Play and Dance Art Festival. The opening piece, film director Lee Jangho’s “God’s Eye View,” is reinterpreted to fit the Arko Arts Theater in Hyehwa-dong, with an emphasis on the themes of life and peace. A total of 150 dancers, directors and actors will take part in the festival, which will be held from June 10 to July 20. All tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information, call (02)-521-8286 or visit www.padaf.co.kr.

“Miss France”: Popular TV and film actress Kim Sung-ryung is returning to the stage after seven years, starring in “Miss France,” a Korean adaptation of the French comic play “Jamais 2 Sans 2.” She appears as Fleur de Senlis, the president of a local pageant committee in France and a former contest winner. The character loses the ability to speak after learning that the winner of last year’s pageant posed nude for an obscene magazine. “Miss France” runs from May 15 to July 13 at Seoul Daehangno Soohyunjae Theater. All tickets cost 50,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

Exhibitions

“Malfunction Library”: Artists in their 30s and 40s are holding an exhibition to present their critical views on the deluge of information and suggest alternative ways to produce and consume information. It is part of an exhibition series of the Seoul Museum of Art that showcases works by young artists in the middle of their careers. The artists offer different perspectives on information overload. Artist Kim Kyoung-ho touches on two forms of information, original and edited. Having worked at the Korean bureau of Iranian Press TV, Kim displays two versions of news footage ― the original, which he filmed, and the scenes edited for broadcast. Intangible information becomes visible in Kim Hwang’s “human library,” featuring one-on-one interviews with people on social issues. The exhibition continues through Aug. 3 at the Seoul Museum of Art. For more information, call (02) 2124-8868.

“A Dream I Dreamed”: Major works by celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama are on exhibit at Seoul Arts Center. The exhibition showcases about 120 works, including new pieces such as a room and a tulip installation covered in colorful polka dots. Her signature yellow “Pumpkin” sculpture and paintings are also on display. The exhibition, which started at Daegu Art Museum last year, will travel to China, Macau, Taiwan and India after the Seoul exhibition. Seoul Arts Center recommends booking in advance to avoid waiting in line. Reservations are available online at www.interpark.com. The museum also provides free admission for children accompanied by guardians on Mondays until the end of May. Up to two children per adult are granted free admission. For more information, call (02) 580-13000.

“ARTSPECTRUM”: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art is holding its biennial exhibition “ARTSPECTRUM.” The exhibition features 10 emerging artists selected by the museum curators and art experts in consideration of their artistic potential and the fresh input they are expected to bring to the Korean art world. The artists are showcasing artworks in diverse media including painting, sculpture, installation and performance. Scientist and artist Song Ho-jun’s satellite launch project consists of installations and quizzes for the audience. Lee Wan discusses his quest to trace the origins of products such as sugar, a jacket and rice through a video work. The exhibition runs through June 28. For more information, visit www.leeum.org.

“This is a Landscape of Desire”: The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is exhibiting works by Danish media artist Jesper Just until Aug. 3. Just gained international fame after representing the Danish pavilion as a media artist at the Venice Biennale last year. His first Seoul exhibition will feature 13 works from his decadelong artistic career. His works consist of two scenes showing different perspectives of each protagonist. Scenes on two screens hung on opposite walls are mysterious. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or visit www.mmca.go.kr.

Festivals

Pohang International Fireworks Festival: Splendid fireworks will decorate the coastal skyline of Pohang at the 10th Pohang International Fireworks Festival from July 26 to Aug. 4. Visitors will be able to watch fireworks every night from 9 p.m. to 9:05 p.m. On July 27, the firework show will last longer as international fireworks teams will compete from 8:50-10:10 p.m. The fireworks will be visible along Yeongildae Beach and at the Hyeongsangang River Sports Park. Concerts and cultural performances will be held at two venues, adding to festive mood. Various hands-on craft activities will be available as well. For more information, visit http://piff.ipohang.org.

Mokpo Maritime Cultural Festival: This festival celebrates the local sea culture with a 1,897 m parade that circles round the Mokpo ferry terminal. A fish market of the past will be recreated to hold a traditional fish auction. Old bars, restaurants and theaters will be installed in the market. Other programs include a 400 m swim at Samhakdo Port and 5 km and 10 km marathons. Across the festival area, street food vendors will offer various local specialties. The festival will run from Aug. 2-3 at various places around Mokpo ferry terminal. For more information, visit www.mokpofestival.com.

Yangpyeong Catfish Festival: The festival kicks off this summer with programs such as catching catfish by hand and battling with water cannons and water guns. If it rains, visitors can do additional water sports such as rafting. Festival packages vary depending on campsites, camping gear, activities and meals or snacks. The festival will run from June 6 to Aug. 31 at Sumi Village in Bongsang-ri, Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong. For more information, visit summerfestival.kr.