Calendar

Dance

“Onegin”: Korea’s Universal Ballet Company is presenting John Cranko’s three-act ballet using Tchaikovsky’s music in an arrangement by Kurt-Heins Stolze. It is based on Alexander Pushkin’s 19th-century novel “Eugune Onegin,” which features the tragic love story of a young, but selfish and arrogant man. Two American Ballet Theater dancers ― Korean-born Seo Hee and Roberto Bolle ― have been invited to perform the leads. Meanwhile, the show on Saturday will be the troupe’s long time principal dancer Kang Ye-na’s last performance. “Onegin” runs through this Saturday at Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, visit www.universalballet.com or call (02) 540-1300.

“Skirt, Skin”: Inspired by American playwright Eve Ensler’s feminist play “The Vagina Monologues,” three dancers have come up with a dance piece that features explorations of women’s body, sexuality and sense of identity. The piece uses women’s skirts as props, and explores one’s inner self that is often in conflict with outer appearance. Local dancers Park So-jung, Jeong Jeong-ah, and transgender woman dancer Christine Fletcher will give the performance, which includes a story of a transgender woman as well as the life of a mail-order bride living in a foreign country. The show runs from Aug. 5 to 6 at Gangdong Arts Center in Seoul. All tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 440-0500.

Pop music

“2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival”: As Korea’s biggest event in rock, the Valley Rock Festival presents one of the best lineups of big musicians from Korea and abroad. This year’s headliners include The Cure, NiN, Skrillex, the Foals, the XX, My Bloody Valentine, Idiotape, Peppertones and many others. The festival this year has moved from Jisan Resort to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park. The three-day festival will be held July 26-28. Ticket prices are 120,000 won for a one-day pass, 230,000 won for a three-day pass and 245,000 won for three-day pass plus admission to the camping ground. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

“2013 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival”: The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival is an annual three-day music festival that features some of the hottest acts in the international and local music scene. Since its inauguration in 2006, the festival has been responsible for bringing in top acts such as Muse, The Black Eyed Peas, The Strokes, Korn, Hoobastank and many others. This year’s festival will be held at the Incheon Songdo 23 Geunrin Park from Aug. 2-4 and will feature headlining acts including Fall Out Boy, Suede, Deul Guk Hwa, Porno Graffitti, Glasvegas, Mamas Gun and more. Ticket prices are 89,100 won for a one-day pass, 128,700 won for a two-day pass and 148,500 won for a full three-day pass. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

“2013 Shinhwa Grand Finale: The Classic”: Korea’s longest-running idol group Shinhwa will celebrate its 15-year anniversary with a special two-day concert performance in Seoul as part of the group’s Asia tour. The six members recently released their 11th album, “The Classic,” on May 16 and the album’s lead track “This Love” landed them the Triple Crown on “M! Countdown” as well as eight other first-place titles on various TV music programs. Shinhwa will hold its upcoming concert at Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium on Aug. 3 and 4. Tickets to the show range from 66,000 won to 143,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

“Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break”: Joining the club of summer music festivals, this year the Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break two-day music fest is bringing some of the hottest bands in rock to Korea. The lineup includes Metallica, Muse, Iggy and the Stooges, Limp Bizkit and Rise Against, as well as popular local acts Jang Ki-ha and the Faces, Kwon Soon-kwan and many more. The festival takes place on Aug. 17 and 18 at Jamsil Sports Complex. Tickets are 250,000 won for a two-day pass and 165,000 won for a one-day pass. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or visit www.interpark.com.

Exhibitions

“Alphonse Mucha: Art Mouveau and Utopia”: The lavish and decorative paintings of Alphonse Mucha, a master of Art Nouveau, are on exhibit in Seoul for the first time, shedding light on the first era of modern art and its development in the late 19th century. The exhibition at Seoul Arts Center introduces 235 works of Mucha, one of the most celebrated artists in the Czech Republic, that are leading examples of the Art Nouveau style. It features posters, paintings, drawings, photographs and jewelry by Mucha on loan from the Mucha Foundation. The exhibition runs until Sept. 22. Admission is 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for teenagers and 8,000 won for children. For more information, visit www.mucha2013.com, or call 1666-2775.

“Takashi in Superflat Wonderland”: PLATEAU, Samsung Museum of Art presents a solo exhibition of pop artist Takashi Murakami from July 4 to Dec. 8. As the first retrospective of Takashi Murakami held in Korea, this exhibition allows one to experience and examine the artist’s oeuvre by featuring a broad panorama of his creative endeavors including his anime-inspired figures, paintings that reflect his theory of “Superflat,” which explains combination of elements of Japanese traditional painting, manga culture, fine arts and commercialism.

“Happiness”: Gana Art Gallery presents old Korean color paintings overlooked during the Confucian Joseon period that valued the ink-and-wash approach. Paintings on exhibit include an 18th-century leopard-skin-patterned painting, a painting depicting Taoist hermits as well as paintings of peonies, pine trees, peaches and elixir plants that represent wealth and longevity. The gallery is showing Korean color paintings in two parts: The first part is open until July 14 and the second part runs from July 18 to Aug. 20. For more information, call (02) 720-1020.

“Gauguin and After: Voyage into the Myth”: Masterpieces of the French post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin are on exhibition in Seoul. The exhibition, which runs from Friday to Sept. 29 at the Seoul Museum of Art, is the first-ever comprehensive survey of Gauguin’s artistic career presented to a Korean audience. It showcases about 60 artworks on loan from 30 major museums around the world, created during the two major periods of the artist ― Brittany, France (1873-1891) and Polynesia (1893-1903) ― that include well-known masterpieces “Vision of the Sermon,” “The Yellow Christ,” “Where Do We Come From, What Are We, Where Are We Going,” and some sculptures and paper works. Admission is 13,000 won for adults; 10,000 won for teenagers and 8,000 won for children. The exhibition is closed on Mondays. For more information, call 1588-2618.

“Sea and Shamanistic Ritual”: The National Folk Museum of Korea is exhibiting photographs and historic objects of Korean shamanistic rituals and rites held at waterfront villages for breadwinners’ safe return. The collection offers an insight into life by the sea, where what sustains communities also threatens their safety. The exhibition features written records and three shamanistic materials selected from 12,375 reference items that were donated by folklorist Ha Hyo-gil in 2012. The exhibition is open through Nov. 18. For more information, call (02) 3704-3114.

“The Guardians of Buddhism”: The National Museum of Korea is exhibiting paintings and other artifacts highlighting the sacred figures of Buddhism who are ranked lower than Buddha or Bodhisattva but are equally important. The show comprises six sections, each section focusing on a different guardian with different blessings and meanings. The exhibition is held through Sept. 8 at Buddhist Arts Hall from Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call (02) 2077-9000.

Theater

“The Scarlet Pimpernel”: Broadway musical “The Scarlet Pimpernel” is being staged in Seoul featuring local musical stars including Han Ji-sang and Park Gun-hyung. Set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, the musical is based on the adventure novel of the same title by Hungarian-born British novelist Emma Orczy (1865-1947), and tells the story of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy and often silly man in London who in fact is the elusive “Scarlet Pimpernel,” a hero who rescues French aristocrats from death in Revolutionary France. Musical actress Kim Sun-young and former girl group S.E.S member Bada share the role of Percy’s love interest. The musical runs from July 2 to Sept. 8 at LG Arts Center in Seoul. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363. 

“Avenue Q”: American adult puppet musical “Avenue Q” has its Seoul premiere this summer. The show is a coming-of-age tale featuring the anxieties and struggles associated with entering adulthood. The show, which also features “Sesame Street”-inspired puppets along with the actors and actresses, is famous for its adult-themed subject matter, such as pornography, racism and homosexuality. “Avenue Q” runs from Aug. 23 to Oct. 16 at Charlotte Theater in Seoul. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363.

“A Tale of Two Cities”: “A Tale of Two Cities,” a musical based on the novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, is being restaged in Seoul after its first run in the city last year. The piece is set against the conflicts between the rebels and aristocracy during the French revolution and its parallel world in 18th-century London. It tells the story of Sydney Carton, a shrewd young English lawyer who develops a strong, unrequited love for Lucie Manette, a young, loving French woman who grew up in England. The show runs from June 18 to Aug. 11 at Charlotte Theater in Seoul. Tickets range from 60,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

“American Idiot”: Broadway musical “American Idiot,” an adaptation of punk-rock band Green Day’s seventh studio album of the same title, will be staged for the first time in Korea. Green Day’s 2004 studio album enjoyed enormous popularity worldwide, selling over 15 million copies with more than 6 million sold in the U.S. alone. The rock musical album tells the story of three young men and their struggles to make sense of the world and find meaning in their lives post-9/11. The musical follows the album’s plot; its script was co-written by Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer. “American Idiot” will be performed from Sept. 5 to 22 at Blue Square’s Samsung Electronics Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Tickets range from 60,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212.

“Les Miserables”: The all-Korean production of Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary musical “Les Miserables” is being performed in Seoul. Based on 19th-century French writer Victor Hugo’s novel of the same title, the musical tells the story of Jean Valjean ― a hapless French peasant who serves 19 years in prison for stealing a piece of bread for his starving family in turbulent 19th-century France. After being released, he manages to assume a new identity and becomes mayor of a town. While trying to avoid being recaptured by Javert, a police inspector, he agrees to take care of Cosette, the illegitimate daughter of Fantine ― a sick, abused prostitute who had to sell her hair and teeth to make a living. “Les Miserables” is currently on an open run at Blue Square’s Samsung Electronics Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Tickets range from 90,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555 or visit www.lesmis.co.kr.

Festivals

“Pohang International Fireworks Festival”: Colorful fireworks will illuminate the sky over Pohang on the east coast on the evenings of July 26 to Aug. 4. Fireworks companies from China, France and Canada will display their products in the summer sky for an hour starting at 9 p.m. on July 27. Visitors can also attend performances of music and dance, a singing competition and movie screenings. For more information call (054) 270-2253 or visit http://festival.ipohang.org. 

“Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival”: The 2013 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan 2013) will enchant film maniacs with science fiction, thriller, fantasy, mystery and horror movies from around the world. About 229 films from 44 countries will be screened from July 18-28 at the festival in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, well-known in South Korea as a center for the film and animation industries. For more information, call (032) 327-6313 or visit www.pifan.com.

“Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival”: Korea’s favorite snack ― chicken and beer ― will be officially celebrated at a festival dedicated to the snack combination in Daegu from July 18-21. The Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival, held at Daegu Duryu Stadium, will start with free fried chicken, organized by eight sponsors including Kyochon Chicken. The festival will also feature a comedy performance by comedian Jeon Yoo-seong on the “souls of dead chickens,” followed by other dance and music concerts throughout the festival. For more information, http://www.chimc.or.kr/2013 (available only in Korean).

“2013 Boryeong Mud Festival”: The annual mud festival in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, will be held from July 19 to 28 at Daecheon Beach. In its 16th year, the mud festival has become one of the few internationally known festivals, attracting over 2 million visitors. With mud from the Boryeong mud flats, visitors can experience the well-known health effects of mud on skin and play in the mud with friends and other participants. The festival will offer a variety of fun events featuring mudslides, mud fights, a mud tub, mud fountain and colored mud zone. For more information, visit www.mudfestival.or.kr.

Classical music

“Un Ballo in Maschera”: Cinema chain Megabox is screening Verdi’s opera “Un Ballo in Maschera” from June 29 and “La Traviatta” from July 6 at its COEX, Central, Mokdong branches in Seoul and at the KINTEX and Baekseok branches in Gyeonggi Province. They are part of “The Met: Live in HD 2012-13” series, which selects some of the best operas staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. “Un Ballo in Maschera” features conductor Fabio Luisi, singers Sondra Radvanovsky, Kathleen Kim, Stephanie Blythe, Marcelo Alvarez and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. “La Traviata” was conducted by Julian Kovatchev and the grand set was designed by Argentine director Hugo de Ana. Tickets are priced at 30,000 won and reservations are can be made at www.megabox.co.kr.

“Great Mountains Music Festival and School 2013”: The Great Mountains Music Festival and School 2013 will introduce works of Nordic composers and musicians as well as commissioned works for the festival and operatic highlights from July 14-Aug. 6 in Pyeongchang, Cheolwon, Wonju and other parts of Gangwon Province under the theme “Northern Lights.” Noted musicians from around the world including pianists Paik Hae-sun, Robert McDonald and Kevin Kenner; violinists Chung Kyung-wha, Kim Nam-yun, Koichiro Harada, Christel Lee and Clara-Jumi Kang; cellists Chung Myung-wha, David Geringas, Gary Hoffman and Jian Wang; violists Roberto Diaz and Hun-Wei Huang; bassist Michinori Bunya; as well as ensembles such as Fantasia Quintet; Novus String Quartet and St. Michel Strings will perform at the remote mountainside resort. They will play pieces by Grieg, Britten, Mozart, Schumann, Paganini, Dvorak, Verdi, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Faure as well as relatively unfamiliar northern European composers including Einojuhani Rautavaara and Dag Wiren. Ticket reservation is open at www.interpark.com. For more information, visit www.gmmfs.com.

“Jazzholic”: Jazzholic will feature performances by key artists in the world of modern creative jazz from July 18 to Aug. 10 in LIG Art Hall’s Seoul Hapjeong and Busan branches. Some of the Korean artists included in the program are the K-Jazz Trio, Lee Won-sul Jazz Chamber Ensemble, and Seoul Meeting Free Music Orchestra. Foreign artists include the legendary Billy Hart Quartet, who will perform in Korea for the first time on Aug. 2 at the Hapjeong branch and Aug. 3 at the Busan branch. Performances during the week will start at 8 p.m. while weekend performances will begin at 5 p.m. Tickets prices range from 30,000 won to 50,000 won. Tickets can be purchased at www.interpark.com, and inquiries can be made at www.ligarthall.com. 

“Beautiful Thursday Baroque and Beyond-7”: The 7th installment in the “Beautiful Thursday Baroque and Beyond” series hosted by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation will feature Kwon Min-seok on the recorder and Cristian Gutirrez on the lute. Kwon is a leading recorder player, winning top titles in numerous international recorder competitions, and Gutirrez is also an expert in his field, specializing in various string instruments. Kwon and Gutirrez will showcase their skills through a series of seven pieces, including classic Baroque pieces from different countries by J.S. Bach, G. Finger, and J.M. Hotteterre. They will also perform unique pieces that have been arranged to feature a mix of classical Baroque instruments and 21st century electronic sounds by using a computer and ‘loop station.’ The performance will take place at 8 p.m., July 25, at Kumho Art Hall. The ticket price is 30,000 won for adults and 8,000 won for youths, and can be purchased at www.kumhoarthall.com or www.interpark.com.