Stages to feature pianist Lim Yunchan, cellist Choi Ha-young, the Arete Quartet and the music of Mahler
South Korea’s classical music scene this year is set to offer an impressive lineup of orchestral performances, renowned soloists and vibrant festivals. Pianist Lim Yun-chan, cellist Choi Ha-young and the Arete Quartet will take center stage, as artists-in-residence at the country's top performing arts organizations. From grand symphonies to intimate recitals, the year promises another rich experience for classical music enthusiasts across the country.
Featured artists
On Jan. 9, the Arete Quartet, the 2025 artist-in-residence at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei, will start things off with their New Year’s Concert. The Arete Quartet, a rising star in Korea's chamber music scene, won both the 2023 International Mozart Competition and the 2024 Lyon International Chamber Music Competition. The Arete Quartet will present four performances throughout the year, including the New Year's concert, followed by concerts in May, September and November.
At Lotte Concert Hall, this year's in-house artist, cellist Choi Ha-young, who won first prize at the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, will present two performances with a diverse repertoire, spanning from Baroque to contemporary, blending solo and chamber works.
Pianist Lim Yunchan is the Tongyeong International Music Festival's artist-in-residence along with Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez. Reflecting Lim's popularity, the opening concert on March 28, featuring Lim, and Lim's recital on March 30 have already sold out. Lim has a special connection with the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, as he became the youngest-ever winner of the Isang Yun International Music Competition in 2019 at the age of 15.
Orchestral highlights
On Jan. 10, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform its New Year's Concert, featuring rising violinist Kim Seo-hyun. The orchestra, led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden, will present Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" at Lotte Concert Hall on Jan. 16 and 17.
There will be an intriguing opportunity to compare the SPO's "Resurrection" with that of the KBS Symphony Orchestra when the latter, led by Conductor Laureate Chung Myung-whun, performs the same piece at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Feb. 21.
On March 3, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, the KBS Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra will join forces for a joint concert at Lotte Concert Hall, performing Mahler's Symphony No. 1.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will continue with Mahler's complete symphonies in a series that began last year.
Van Zweden, who assumed his role of music director of the SPO last year, previously announced plans to perform and record all of Mahler's symphonies during his five-year tenure.
As part of this initiative, the orchestra performed and recorded Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" during Van Zweden's inaugural concert in January last year, with the recording recently released on Apple Music Classical.
In addition to the Mahler performances, Van Zweden will lead seven regular concerts this year, featuring powerful works by Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak and Beethoven.
In September, a new composition by Jung Jae-il, the music director behind the Netflix series “Squid Game” and the film “Parasite,” commissioned by the SPO, will have its world premiere.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will also perform the Korean premieres of John Adams' “Doctor Atomic Symphony,” Jimmy Lopez Bellido's “Fiesta,” and Detlev Glanert's “The Wide Land.” Composer and conductor Yoon Han-kyeol will conduct the Asian premiere of his own composition, “Grium.”
For the KBS Symphony Orchestra, the highlight of this season is the grand return of Chung Myung-whun, the orchestra's fifth principal conductor and its first-ever conductor laureate.
In addition to his February performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection," Chung will lead four regular concerts and three special concerts, featuring monumental works such as the complete Brahms symphony cycle, Bruckner's Symphony No. 6, Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
The Korean National Symphony Orchestra's 2025 season will center around eight major concerts including six concerts at the Seoul Arts Center, showcasing a diverse repertoire under the direction of renowned conductors such as Choi Hee-chuhn, Roberto Abbado, Hong Suk-won and featuring celebrated soloists including cellist Camille Thomas and pianist Paul Lewis throughout the year.
Festivals to mark
Leading festivals will continue their vibrant legacies. In March, the Tongyeong International Music Festival is set to take place from March 28 to April 6 under the directorship of composer Chin Un-suk under the theme of "Journey Inwards."
The Seoul Spring Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025 under the theme "20 Candles," symbolizing two decades of musical excellence. Running from April 22 to May 4, the festival will host 14 concerts across Seoul.
Gyechon Classic Music Festival, which brings together classical music fans to a small village with a population of 2,000, in Gangwon Province, is expected to return in May or June. Music in PyeongChang, led by cellist Yang Sung-won, will be back in July and August.
From Aug. 26 to Sept. 4, the Sejong Soloists’ innovative music festival Hic et Nunc! returns for its eighth edition, blending classical music with literature, visual arts and technology. Highlight performances include a collaboration with renowned author Bernard Werber, who will narrate and co-curate a concert based on his novel "The Time of Chimeras."
Ahead this winter is the Hanwha Classic, an 11-year-old concert series that highlights Baroque music.
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