“The 22nd ChangMu Performing Arts Festival”

The 22nd ChangMu Performing Arts Festival will take place from June 29 to July 10 at the ARKO Arts Theater Main Hall.

The festival consists of three parts along with the opening ceremony and finale. The June 29 opening ceremony will feature gala performances including Kim Woon-tae’s Chaesang Sogo Dance and Spanish trio SAI’s performance. Each part of the festival will feature two to three performances, encompassing various genres from traditional Korean dance to contemporary one. Part 1 will take place July 1-2, part 2 on July 5, and part 3 July 7-8. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 5 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 50,000 won and can be reserved at www.koreapac.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 337-5961.

“Still Be Choreography: Apparatus”

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will present an experimental performance at the ARKO Arts Theater Small Hall at 8 p.m. from June 22-23 and at 3 p.m. from June 25-26. Nine artists participating in Choreography Laboratory, KNCDC’s program that supports a group of young artists in creating innovative choreography based on research, will take part in the performance.

The performance will be divided into two parts, and audience members under 19 are not permitted for the first part of the performance on June 22-23.

Tickets are 15,000 won and can be reserved at www.koreapac.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3472-1420 or visit www.kncdc.kr.

“Fairy Tale Ballet: Cinderella”

Wise Ballet Theater’s “Fairy tale ballet: Cinderella” will take place at Art Hall Mac, Mapo Arts Center from July 8-9. The performance is based on a fairy tale “Cinderella,” which tells the story of a girl who has been abused by her stepmother and stepsisters that falls in love with a prince with the help of a fairy. The ballet company, formed in 2005 with the goal of popularizing classical ballet, has provided great opportunities for the family with children by presenting “Family Ballet” and “Fairy Tale Ballet.”

The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets range from 30,000 won to 50,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3274-8600.

“The Taming of the Shrew”

Korean National Ballet will be performing “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater from June 23-26. The ballet in two acts choreographed by John Cranko is based on William Shakespeare’s play featuring a story of a man trying to subdue a petulant girl and making her an obedient wife. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 80,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr. For inquiries, call (02) 587-6181.

Pop
 

“Beck”

Grammy Award-winning musician Beck is holding a concert at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall on July 21 as part of Hyundai Card’s Culture Project. Beck is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental musical collages. His music encompasses folk, funk, soul, hiphop, alternative rock, and country. Tickets range in price from 115,000 won to 165,000 won and are available at ticket.interpark.com.

“Beenzino -– Live in Seoul”

Hip-hop artiste Beenzino is holding a concert at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall at 6 p.m. on June 26. The 28-year-old rapper known for his melodic style of rap has been actively making music since 2009, releasing three solo albums and collaborating with some of the best-known hip-hop artists in Korea such as Primary and Dok2. His well-known songs include “Dali, Van, Picasso” and “Boogie On & On.” Concert tickets are priced at 66,000 won and are available at ticket.interpark.com.

“2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival”

The seventh installation of Korea’s signature rock music festivals is taking place July 22-24 at the Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. This year’s lineup will feature world-class acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, the iconic American rock band set to return with its 11th album in June; Russian-German DJ Zedd; and English electronic duo Disclosure. Local indie-rock acts Kiha & the Faces, Guckkasten, Hyukoh and others will be performing as well. 

Tickets range from 136,000 won to 221,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com.

“Monsta X -- X Clan Origins”

Hip-hop boy band Monsta X is holding its first live concerts at Blue Square in Itaewon, Seoul on July 16 and 17 at 5 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. The two concerts will be held with different themes, each featuring a special stage for only that day. Formed by Starship Entertainment in 2015, the seven-member group Monsta X recently ranked No. 8 on the Billboard World Albums Chart for its third EP “The Clan, Part 1: Lost.” The group’s well-known songs include “Rush” and “Hero.”

A maximum of two tickets can be reserved per person. Tickets are priced at 88,000 won and sold at ticket.interpark.com.

Art

“Big: Kids and Design”

More than 200 pieces of 20th-century vintage furniture designed for children by renowned designers are on view at Kumho Museum of Art until Sept. 11. The exhibition sheds light on the point in the 20th century when specific needs of children started to be considered in designing furniture, and introduces chairs, tables, toys and more created by leading designers of the time such as Peter Keler, Luigi Colani, Jean Prouve and Renate Muller whose design intended to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination. For more information, visit www.kumhomuseum.com.

“Artspectrum 2016”

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, is holding its biennial exhibition that introduces emerging young Korean artists until Aug. 7. The exhibition features some 40 works of art in diverse mediums such as painting, photography, video and installation that explore a variety of topics ranging from personal accounts to Korea’s modern history. The exhibition attempts to show expanding boundaries of art combining graphic design, statistics and sound to their works. For more information, visit www.leeum.org or call (02) 2014-6901.

"Lee Jung-seob"

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea presents a solo exhibition of Korean art master Lee Jung-seob to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition showcases some 200 paintings and 100 pieces of related documents on loan from some 60 museums and collectors, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Divided into major periods of his artistic career in the 1930s to ’40s, the exhibition guides viewers through Lee’s tumultuous personal life and early modern history of Korea. The Lee Jung-seob exhibition runs until Oct. 3 at the MMCA’s Deoksugung Palace museum. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr.

"Kim Ji-won"

PKM Gallery is holding a solo exhibition of Kim Ji-won, known for his paintings of cockscomb flowers. The exhibition features 25 latest paintings that portray cockscomb flowers, or “mendrami” in Korean, in different styles. The artist, who has dedicated himself to painting the flower for the last 15 years, believes that painting one of the most common types of flowers symbolizes stages in life from birth to death. The exhibition runs until June 25 at PKM Gallery on Samcheong-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul. For more information, call (02) 734-9467.

“Three Jewels: Buddhist Art of Korea”

Ho-Am Art Museum is holding an exhibition that highlights Korean Buddhist art until Nov. 6. The exhibition, divided into three sections, presents Buddhist paintings, sculptures and craftworks that portray teachings and lives of two major subjects of worship in Korean Buddhism -- the Sakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. The museum, located near Everland, operates a shuttle bus from the Everland ticket office to the museum every hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 for teenagers. For more information, visit www.hoammuseum.org.

“Black Forest”

Suwon iPark Museum of Art is holding an exhibition of 19th- and 20th-century German landscape and genre paintings, on loan from Augustiner Museum in Freiburg, Germany. The exhibition, which marks the sister city agreement between Suwon and Freiburg last year, features 48 paintings that portray landscapes and life in the mountainous Black Forest in southwestern Germany. Freiburg is located on the edge of the Black Forest. Divided into three sections, the exhibition traces the 19th-century naturalism movement in Germany that emerged to depict landscapes and everyday life with minimal reinterpretation. The exhibition runs until June 26. Tickets cost 4,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for students and 1,000 won for children. For more information, visit sima.suwon.go.kr. 

Classical & Opera
 

“Orquesta Nacional de Espana”

Orquesta Nacional de Espana led by Antonio Mendez will kick off its first concert in Korea at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on July 17. The Spanish national orchestra, founded in 1937 during the Spanish civil war, has participated in numerous Spanish festivals and toured across Europe, America, and Asia. The program will feature Turina’s “Danzas Fantasticas,” Falla’s “Noches en los Jardines de Espana” and “El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Suites 1&2,” and Ravel’s Piano concerto in G major. Pianist Paik Kun-woo will accompany the orchestra.

Tickets range from 50,000 won to 220,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.

“Kim Sun-wook Piano Recital”

Kim Sun-wook will hold a piano recital at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on July 20. Kim earned international recognition when he won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006 at the age of 18, becoming the first Asian winner and the youngest winner of the competition in 40 years. The program will feature Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor, K. 397, Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894, and Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations,” Op. 120.

Tickets range from 30,000 won to 90,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr and ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.

“Murakami Haruki Meets Miyazaki Hayao”

Yangpyeong Philharmonic Orchestra will present classical music running through Haruki Murakami’s novels and sound tracks of Miyazaki Hayao’s animation films. The program will feature classical music which inspired Murakami’s novels including Mozart’s “Le Nozze Di Figaro Overture” and Brahms’ Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 and music from Miyazaki’s animations including “One Summer’s Day,” “Merry-Go-Round of Live,” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”

The concert will take place at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on July 3. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 45,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 2658-3546.

“Lucerne Symphony Orchestra”

Lucerne Symphony Orchestra will kick off its first concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on June 24. The oldest symphony orchestra of Switzerland formed in 1806, LSO has been led by the chief conductor James Gaffigan since 2011. Gaffigan will lead the orchestra at the concert in Korea, with Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili accompanying the orchestra.

The program will feature Weber Overture from Opera “Euryanthe,” Grieg Piano Concerto A minor, Op. 16, and Dvorak Symphony No. 8 G major, Op. 88.

Tickets range from 40,000 won to 200,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com or www.sacticket.co.kr. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.

Theater
 

“Sleeping Beauty”

Hailed as one of the U.K.’s most popular and successful choreographers and directors, Matthew Bourne will show his critically acclaimed “gothic romance” dance reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” for the first time in Korea this summer. Combining dance, cabaret and circus elements with the music of Tchaikovsky, Bourne has reinvented the traditional tale of good vs. evil with a gothic twist. The performance will be staged from June 22 to July 3 at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, visit www.lgart.com.

“Sweeney Todd, The Musical”

The gruesome tale of a man filled with vengeance, the musical tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street is hitting the Seoul stage. Sweeney Todd follows the life of Benjamin Barker, who, after being wrongfully accused of a crime, takes his vengeance on the people of London by murdering the patrons of his barbershop. Starring Ock Joo-hyun, Cho Seung-woo, Yang Jun-mo and Jeon Mi-do, the musical will be staged at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu from June 21 to Oct. 3. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212.

“Wicked”

The Korean version of the top grossing musical on Broadway for 12 years, “Wicked” is returning to the musical stage this summer. The production tells the untold stories of the witches of Oz with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. This year’s cast will include Cha Ji Yeon, Park Hye-na, Jeong Sun-ah and IVY.  The musical will be staged from July 12 to Aug. 28 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363.

“Notre Dame de Paris”

Set in the backdrop of 1482 Paris, Notre Dame de Paris,” follows the life of a young and irresistibly beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda. Her allure and charm captures the hearts of countless men, including Quasimodo -- a hunchback harshly crowned as the ugliest man in all of Paris -- and the sinfully sly and soon-to-be-married Phoebus, leading to a spiral of painful drama. The Korean remake of this musical classic will be staged at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong this summer from June 16 to Aug. 21 and will star K-pop ballad king K.Will and Yoon Gong-ju. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-6236.

“Newsies”

Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, Disney Theatrical Productions’ “Newsies” has hit the Seoul stage. Starring On Ju-wan, Suh Kyeong-su, Lee Jae-gyun and Kang Sung-wook, the musical is a two-time Tony Award winner for best choreography and best original score and received a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album in 2012. “Newsies” will be held at the Chungmu Art Hall until July 3, with ticket prices ranging from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 1588-5212.

“The Three Musketeers”

Based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel, “The Three Musketeers,” the musical rendition of the classic tale has returned to the Seoul stage. Revolving around the adventures of D’Artagnan and the three courageous musketeers ― Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the musical stars Kai, B1A4’s CNU and Sandeul, Kang Tae-eul and Park Sung-Hwan. The production will be staged until June 26 at the D Cube Arts Center in Seoul. Tickets range from 60,000 won to 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 764-7867.