Poster of the DMZ Open International Music Festival / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Tourism Organization
By Lee Hae-rin
A world-class classical music concert for peace themed around the Demiltarized Zone (DMZ) will take place in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in November.
The DMZ Open International Music Festival, the finale of the DMZ Open Festival that kicked off in May, will take place at Goyang Aram Nuri Music Hall from Nov. 4 to 11 aiming to proclaim peace, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization announced, Monday.
The eight-day event will also stage several winners of international competitions, including Baritone Kim Tae-han, the winner of the vocal category at the Queen Elisabeth Competition; Roman Fediurko, the first place winner of the International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz; Han Jae-min, the winner of the Isang Yun International Music Competition; and Kim Eun-chae, the winner of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition.
On the opening night, Gyeonggi Philarmonic will perform with Ukrainian pianist Fediurko and premiere “Healing Light,” a score commissioned by the festival and composed by Kim Shin, the winner of the George Enescu International Competition.
The closing performance will feature the KBS Orchestra led by Maestro Chung Myung-hoon, Baritone Kim Tae-han and cellist Han Jae-min.
In addition, a symposium is scheduled with Florian Riem, the secretary general of the World Federation of International Competitions who voiced against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and excluded the International Tchaikovsky Competition from its membership following a vote last year.
“The festival will contribute to spreading the hope for peace and love for humanity and go beyond the sordid history of the DMZ … We invite you to join our steps towards peace accompanied by young and great artists,” the festival’s artistic director Lim Mi-jeong said through a press release.
All proceeds will be donated to charity and tickets are available at Interpark and Goyang Aram Nuri website.
Ticket price is 50,000, 40,000, 20,000 won by order of class seats for the opening performance, and 80,000, 50,000, 40,000 won for the closing performance. All other performances are 30,000 won and those registered as residents of Gyeonggi Province may enjoy a 20 percent discount.
