“A 10-billion-won production looks like a 10-billion-won production. “The quality of a production realistically shows how much money has been put into it,” said Chung Chan-hee, chairman of the Korea Opera Company Association. Moreover, the report showed that most people attend the opera complimentarily, as only 36.5 percent of the opera audiences in 2016 watched opera with tickets they purchased themselves. The average price of a ticket to the opera is 35,778 won ($33.27), about 10,000 won higher than a musical and three times higher than a gugak (traditional Korean music) performance, which is 12,476 won. Īccording to a report analyzing the status of performing arts in the country by the Korea Arts Management Service and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, opera ticket prices are the highest of all stage productions.

Ulsan Singers Opera will stage Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” that has been reinterpreted with a Korean twist. Seventy years have passed since Korea was first introduced to this western art form and despite great achievements and developments over the years, such as producing internationally renowned sopranos including Sumi Jo, Hong Hei-kyung and Shin Youngok, Korea’s operatic world is still in a bind, not knowing how to attract more people to costly performances while still being able to cover the costs of putting on a quality show. Indeed, opera is an expensive performing art to stage. The five-day performance sold out all of its tickets but it is said that Lee had to sell his house and piano to make up for production costs, as he set ticket prices too low.

Playing Violette were sopranos Kim Ja-kyung and Ma Geum-hee. Tenor Lee In-seon, who was one of the first tenors to come back to Korea after studying in Italy, produced the opera and also appeared in the performance as Alfredo.

The very first opera staged in Korea was a local production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” titled “Chun Hee” in Korean, at the Sigongkwan Theater (now known as the Myeongdong Theater) in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, in January 1948. Korea National Opera will present an Opera Gala on May 19 and 20, starting with Korean opera “Soul Mate,” pictured above, followed by “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata” and “Der Fliegende Hollander,” as part of this year’s ninth Korea Opera Festival.

Korean opera music