The 2026 Seoripul K-String Fair runs Oct. 17–23 at Seoripul Instrument Street, South Korea's only designated music culture district — 13 Korean luthiers active at home and abroad will display 28 handcrafted instruments, including violins, violas and cellos.
Seocho-gu and the Seocho Cultural Foundation will hold the 2026 Seoripul K-String Fair from Oct. 17 to Oct. 23 at Rode Art Center, located within Seoripul Instrument Street — South Korea's only designated music culture district.
Organized jointly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seocho-gu and the Seocho Cultural Foundation as part of the 2026 Cultural District Development Support Project, the fair is a modern instrument festival showcasing the work of Korean luthiers active both at home and abroad.
This year, 13 Korean instrument makers based primarily in South Korea and Italy will participate, displaying a total of 28 handcrafted instruments — 21 violins, five violas and two cellos — all made by the craftspeople themselves.
An opening concert featuring the exhibited instruments will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 17, the first day of the fair. Violinist Lee Ji-hye — a laureate of the Tchaikovsky and Menuhin competitions and a professor at the Korea National University of Arts — will perform as soloist, joined by the Balt Ensemble and the Antonin Ensemble.
Throughout the exhibition period, visitors can try playing the displayed instruments and receive one-on-one consultations with specialists. A hands-on workshop allowing participants to explore the structure of a violin and the tools used in its construction will also be available through advance registration.
A series of craft lectures offering an in-depth look at the instrument-making process will be held nightly at 7 p.m. from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21.
The Oct. 19 lecture, "Stories from the Cremona Workshop," will introduce the production environment in Cremona, Italy — the historic heart of string instrument making. The Oct. 20 session, "Quantifying the Arch," will examine arching, the critical process that determines an instrument's acoustic properties and structural form. The Oct. 21 talk, "String Quartet," will explore the balance and characteristics of instruments in a string quartet. Each lecture will feature insights into the craft, techniques and accumulated expertise of the participating makers.
Admission to the 2026 Seoripul K-String Fair exhibition is free. The opening concert and special programs require advance registration. Full details are available on the official websites of Seoripul Instrument Street and the Seocho Cultural Foundation.
"Visitors will be able to experience up close the makers' refined craftsmanship and the diverse tonal qualities of string instruments," said Jeon Su-kyung, chief executive of the Seocho Cultural Foundation. "We hope it will be a time when makers, performers and audiences connect through string instruments and share in the joy of what makes them so special."
Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su called the event "the largest edition yet, bringing together the skills and works of Korean string instrument makers in one place," and pledged continued support "so that Seoripul Instrument Street can establish itself as a hub for exchange among makers, performers and audiences from home and abroad, and as the center of instrument culture representing our country."
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