Opera festival of UNESCO Creative City of Music celebrates enduring beauty of the genre
Daegu, designated a UNESCO Creative City of Music, will host the 22nd Daegu International Opera Festival next month under the theme “Per Sempre” — Italian for “forever.”
The theme reflects the enduring beauty and immortality of art, underscoring opera’s timeless ability to inspire and move audiences, according to the Daegu Opera House on Friday.
At the heart of this year’s festival are four full-scale opera productions that embody the festival’s message of immortality and resonance.
The curtain rises with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” from Sept. 26 to 27, produced by Daegu Opera House, making its premiere at this year’s edition.
Next, Bizet’s ever-popular “Carmen” will be staged from Oct. 16 to 18 in a production by the Yeongnam Opera Company, invited by Daegu Opera House.
On Oct. 24–25, Mozart’s masterpiece “The Marriage of Figaro” takes the stage in collaboration with rising vocal talents from around the globe.
Closing the festival is Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice,” Daegu Opera House’s 2024 in-house production, which was presented at Estonia’s Saaremaa Opera Festival in July.
Beyond the four main operas, the festival expands in scope and vision, the organizers said.
Highlights include the world premiere of Jin Young-min’s concertante opera “Beauty," inspired by Sin Yun-bok’s famous painting "Portrait of a Beauty." Adding to the international spirit, a special Korea–Japan–China gala concert on Oct. 30, titled “Heart of the East, One Stage,” will unite top singers and companies from the three nations, symbolizing cultural exchange and solidarity.
Complementing the stage productions are fringe concerts across Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea by population, and beyond, lobby concerts inside the opera house, and the popular “Prima della Prima” preperformance lectures designed to deepen audience understanding.
The festival will also host a global opera market on Oct. 27, positioning the city as a hub for opera distribution and artist exchange.
Also part of the festival is a visual collaboration with acclaimed contemporary artist Lee Bae, whose signature use of charcoal conveys the theme of ‘Per Sempre.’
gypark@heraldcorp.com
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