The Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra in September will hold performances in Austria to mark the 130th anniversary of Korea’s ties with the European country. Shown is the orchestra greeting the audience in December last year. (Orchestra’s official Facebook page)
By Min Yea-Ji and Lee Jihae
Video = official YouTube channel of cultural dept. of Korean Embassy in Austria
Korea and Austria will hold cultural exchange events to commemorate the 130th anniversary of bilateral ties.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on June 23 said that along with the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, it will hold for four months performances of K-pop, gugak (traditional Korean music) and Korean classical music in Austria to boost bilateral friendship.
The first K-pop concert in Austria is slated for June 25. The K-pop group Lightsum will perform its hits like “Vanilla” and “Vivace” at Donauinselfest, Europe’s largest outdoor festivals, in the event “Donauinsel (Danube Island) Electronic Stage.”
Gugak will be performed at Austria’s leading concert halls in September. The Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra on Sept. 15 and 19 will perform Gyeonggi minyo (folk song), solo gayageum (12-string zither) and geomungo sanjo (music from a six-string zither-like instrument) at Musikverein Graz and Wiener Konzerthaus-Mozart Hall.
The two venues in Vienna are where world-renowned conductors and musicians perform.
Conventional Korean classical music will be come in October. The Korean National Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 2 at Musikverein Wien will play pieces like “Like a Spring Comes Cross the River” and the opera “Don Giovanni” in featuring opera arias and Korean songs.
“Through various performing arts that span tradition and modernity, we hope to widely spread in Austria the charms of Korean culture,” the ministry said. “We hope that cultural exchange and cooperation are further solidified on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of bilateral ties.”
jesimin@korea.kr
