The 2026 Seoul Arts Center Symphony Festival, Korea's premier orchestra event, will run from April 1 to 23 at the Concert Hall of Seoul Arts Center. This year's festival carries the subtitle "Connecting The Notes," symbolizing the connection of music to music, orchestra to orchestra, generation to generation, and region to world. A total of 19 national and public symphony orchestras from across Korea and one international ensemble will deliver 20 performances, showcasing the current state of Korean symphonic music.
The festival brings together master conductors active on the world stage alongside next-generation talents. Foreign-born music directors including Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Jaap van Zweden, newly appointed National Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director Roberto Abbado, and Ulsan Symphony Orchestra Music Director Sascha Goetzel will present programs reflecting their respective ensembles' distinctive colors.
The participation of next-generation conductors is also notable. Holly Choe, winner of the 2025 Georg Solti Conducting Award, will make her Korean conducting debut. Yeo Ja-kyung, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra known for her stable interpretations, and Park Seung-yu, recently appointed Principal Conductor of the Jeju Symphony Orchestra, will also take the podium. The increased participation of female conductors is another distinctive feature of this year's festival.
The soloist lineup is equally impressive. The opening performance features pianist Vincent Ong, a 2025 Chopin Competition prizewinner, performing with the National Symphony Orchestra. Subsequent concerts will feature violinist Johan Dalene, winner of the Carl Nielsen Competition; Rafał Blechacz, Chopin Competition winner; and Heesuk Elias Akerley, second-prize winner in the piano division of the ARD International Music Competition. Young performers including violinist Kim Seo-hyun, the youngest-ever winner of the Tibor Varga Competition; Sunyul, winner of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition; and Lee Yu-bin, winner of the Isang Yun International Music Competition, will also perform as soloists.
Principal players from various orchestras appearing as soloists is another highlight. Lim Sang-woo, Principal Clarinet of the Seoul Philharmonic, and Kim Hyung-joo, Principal Horn of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, will showcase the accumulated performance expertise within their ensembles. They will be joined by Kim Se-jun, Lifetime Principal Viola of Germany's NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, violinists Esther Yoo and Cho Jin-joo, pianists Lee Jin-sang and Ahn Jong-do, cellist Song Young-hoon, and soprano Hong Hye-ran, all active on domestic and international stages. Cellist Choi Ha-young and pianist Lee Kyung-sook round out a cross-generational roster of soloists.
A special international performance has also been arranged. On April 7, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, the resident ensemble of Switzerland's Verbier Festival, will appear at the Symphony Festival for the first time. Led by Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy with pianist Rafał Blechacz as soloist, this performance holds special significance as it brings a resident orchestra from a world-renowned music festival to an event traditionally centered on Korean symphony orchestras.
The repertoire spans a wide range. Alongside canonical symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, and Rachmaninoff, the festival includes large-scale 20th-century works such as Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," Respighi's "Pines of Rome," and Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra." A newly commissioned work by Grace Ann Lee, Composer-in-Residence at the National Symphony Orchestra, will receive its world premiere.
Programs commemorating the 270th anniversary of Mozart's birth are also featured. The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra will perform Symphony No. 40, the Seoul Philharmonic will present the Clarinet Concerto, and the Gongju City Chungnam Symphony Orchestra will perform Horn Concerto No. 4, illuminating the composer's musical world.
Seoul Arts Center is expanding both online and offline broadcasting to reach more audiences. Performances will be streamed live for free through "Digital Stage" and broadcast on LED screens at the Seoul Arts Center outdoor plaza. The Busan Cinema Center plans to present August screenings of Symphony Festival performances in an outdoor format.
Meanwhile, performances by the Seoul Philharmonic (April 9) and the KBS Symphony Orchestra (April 22) have already sold out, with additionally released choir seats also selling out, reflecting strong public interest. Tickets are available through the Seoul Arts Center website, call center, and NOL Ticket.
