A commitment to a 'four-season cultural city' — the 15th Grand Opera Festival brings world-class singers and a live orchestra to a 900-seat open-air stage along Jungnangcheon Stream on Oct. 3
Jungnangcheon Stream in Seoul, which blazes with tens of millions of roses each spring, will transform into a grand outdoor opera venue this fall. Residents will not need to travel to a concert hall — a full orchestra and top-tier vocalists will take the stage at a neighborhood park, free of charge, in what organizers are calling a "community cultural performance."
The 15th Grand Opera Festival, "Jangmi Park: Opera Night," will be held at the outdoor stage of Jangmi Park in Jungnang-gu on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., according to the Seoul Metropolitan Council. About 900 outdoor seats will be available, with general admission free on a first-come, first-served basis. The performance was selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's private festival support project and is hosted by La Bella Opera Company.
The festival goes beyond simply moving opera outdoors. Its significance lies in extending the cultural momentum of the spring Seoul Rose Festival — Jungnang-gu's signature event — into autumn, transforming the Jungnangcheon area into a year-round cultural space. Park Seung-jin, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Housing and Space Committee and a Democratic Party of Korea member representing Jungnang District 3, has long championed the expansion of and support for local festivals that bring arts and culture into residents' everyday lives along Jungnangcheon.
The program will be a highlight gala concert featuring key scenes from beloved opera masterworks. Arias, duets and choral pieces from Bizet's "Carmen," Puccini's "La Bohème" and "Turandot," and Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" will fill roughly 100 minutes. The New Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Park Hae-won, will perform.
The stage will feature a roster of leading Korean vocalists — sopranos Kang Hye-myeong, Choi Young-sin, Ahn Hyeon-seon, Noh Su-jeong, Lee Sol and Lee Ye-ji; tenors Won Yu-dae and Kim Ji-min; baritone Lee Chi-hun; and basses Yang Seok-jin and Geum Gyo-dong. Director Hong Min-jeong will also provide commentary, making the program accessible to first-time opera audiences by guiding them through each work's story and key scenes.
One of the evening's distinctive features is that citizens will share the stage itself. The La Bella Citizens Chorus and the Brillante Children's Chorus — both selected through open auditions — will perform alongside the professional vocalists. Community members will become active participants rather than remaining in the audience, bridging professional artistry and the local community on a single stage.
Park's vision for local cultural policy is a city of festivals unconstrained by season. Since launching the inaugural Jungnangcheon Autumn Concert in 2024, he has supported a series of events that blend local spaces with cultural programming — including the Taenung Market Alley Night Festival, held together with market vendors and neighborhood residents. This latest initiative grafts opera onto Jangmi Park, extending Jungnangcheon's cultural offerings from spring into autumn.
"I am keeping my commitment to ensure that Jungnang-gu residents can enjoy outstanding cultural festivals close to home in autumn, just as they do during the spring rose festival," Park said. "I will continue working so that Jungnang-gu can establish itself as a city of culture and a city of festivals."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
