Gracias Choir has teamed up with classical musicians for its nationwide tour, titled “Svobodno,” which will entail six concerts in five cities.

Classical musicians joining the tour include pianist Mikhail Benediktov, former guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theater; violinist Chingiz Osmanov, grand prize winner of the International Jascha Heifetz competition; and oboist Liang Wang, a former member of the New York Philharmonic.

The concerts will feature choral and classical music pieces, as well as solo instrumental performances. 

The choir’s principal conductor -- Boris Abalyan, who is also a professor at Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory -- will lead the concerts.

Gracias Choir’s nationwide tour kicked off last Saturday at KBS Hall in Seoul, and the opening event was followed by a concert at Daejeon Arts Center on Sunday.

The choir will perform at the Gwangju Culture & Art Center on Monday, move on to the Tongyeong Concert Hall on Tuesday and return to Seoul to perform at the Lotte Concert Hall on Wednesday. The final concert is to take place at the Baeckryung Art Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

Gracias Choir, founded in 2000, has toured internationally, performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in 2017 and the Sydney Opera House in 2008.

The choir has won several international awards, including the top prize at Germany’s International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf 2015 and the first prize at Switzerland’s Montreux Choral Festival.


By Shim Woo-hyun
(ws@heraldcorp.com)