Celebrate New Year’s with the classics

As the year 2012 comes to an end, come celebrate the holidays with the sound of music. Seoul has an abundance of performing arts centers that have prepared a variety of classical concerts and performances to ring in the New Year.

Seoul Arts Center

Seoul Arts Center will celebrate the New Year with the sounds of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and more with the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Chi-Young Chung. The performance will feature Shin Hyun-su on violin, Kim Won on Piano and Alfred Kim on Tenor.

The concert will be held on New Year’s Eve starting at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won to 70,000 won. Seoul Arts Center is located in Seocho-dong. For more information, call (02) 580-1300.

National Theater of Korea

The National Orchestra of Korea invites audiences to ring in the New Year with performances of “Sinbaennori” and “The Sound of a Horse’s Hooves.” There will be special guest appearances by Maestro Hwang Byung-ki, Korean-Japanese crossover artist Yang Bang-eon and musical director Kolleen Park.

This event will be held at the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu on New Year’s Eve at 10 p.m. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2280-4114. 

Gangdong Arts Center

Gangdong Arts Center will be kicking off the New Year with a performance by the Grammy Award-winning coloratura soprano Sumi Jo. Jo has more than 50 recordings including complete operas, oratorio, operetta and orchestral works. The performance will also include an appearance by musical actor Yoon Young-suk on tenor and the Western Symphony Orchestra. Jo’s performance will be held New Year’s Eve at 10:30 p.m. at the Gangdong Arts Center, located in Gang-dong. Ticket prices range from 44,000 won to 77,000 won. For more information, call (02) 440-0500.

Sejong Center

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will present a two-part holiday special titled the “Last Solemn.” The first show of the New Year’s performance, “Thank You 2012,” is a concert featuring singers Lee So-ra and Lucid Fall and the male duo Vibe. The second show will feature Lee So-ra, Jung Jae-hyung and Lee Jung in “Anticipation 2013.” The concerts will also include appearances by the Seoul Ballet, the Seoul Youth Choir and the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Last Solemn” will start at 6:30 p.m. and the second show will start at 10:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. Sejong Center is located in Jongno-gu. For more information, call 1544-1813, 1544-1555 or 1566-1369.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)