Free outdoor performances begin Friday and run for three evenings at 7 p.m.

Suncheon, a city known as an ecological and cultural garden destination, will host a free outdoor classical music festival this weekend, bringing world-class musicians to perform under the autumn sky.

The Suncheon Culture Foundation will stage the 2026 Suncheon Classic Festa at the main stage of Ocheon Green Square in the Suncheon Bay National Garden zone, running Friday through Sunday at 7 p.m. each evening.

The festival aims to broaden the musical horizons of Suncheon residents and bring classical music to a wider public, featuring top-tier domestic and international musicians performing in an open-air setting.

Conductor Keum Nan-sae, crossover group La Poem and pianist Yuki Kuramoto are among the headliners, joined by an orchestra and choir, with each of the three evenings offering its own program.

On Friday, the opening night, the program is titled "Fantasia Garden: A Concert with Commentary by Keum Nan-sae."

La Poem will perform alongside the New World Philharmonic Orchestra in a program blending classical and crossover pop-opera music, with collaborations from Kim Jong-wan on bandoneon, Lee Yun-seok on harmonica and Ji Ik-hwan on guitar.

Saturday evening's program, "Family Garden: A Concert with Nature," will welcome audiences to a more intimate setting.

The night will feature the lyrical piano of Yuki Kuramoto — widely regarded as one of the most beloved pianists in Korea — alongside the Ditto Orchestra, a civilian classical ensemble, performing film and drama series original soundtracks.

The two acts' joint performance is designed to pair the atmosphere of an autumn garden with music familiar to a broad audience.

The festival closes Sunday at 7 p.m. with "Suncheon Peace Garden: Classics for All of Us," a program built around resonant harmonies that will bring the three-day event to a close.

Earlier that day, starting at 4 p.m., the Suncheon Citizens' Choir and an orchestra will give a pre-show performance, followed by the Suncheon Municipal Choir, the Suncheon Municipal Boys and Girls Choir and the 2026 SCCF Orchestra — a project ensemble made up of local residents — taking the stage together as a single harmony created by local artists and citizens alike.

Residents relax on the lawn at Ocheon Green Square. [Provided by Suncheon City]
Residents relax on the lawn at Ocheon Green Square. [Provided by Suncheon City]

A defining feature of the three-day festival is that it takes place entirely outdoors, set against a backdrop of green lawns and trees rather than an indoor concert hall.

"We put together a program spanning diverse musical genres so that families — from young children to seniors — can all enjoy it," a Suncheon Culture Foundation official said. "Since there are no fixed seats for the outdoor performances, we encourage everyone to dress warmly and spread a mat freely on the grass."

Those arriving by car can enter the address — 702-1 Ocheon-dong, Suncheon — into a navigation app and park at a nearby lot.


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