Seongjeong Cultural Foundation marks 45th anniversary with top classical artists

The Seongjeong Cultural Foundation is marking its 45th anniversary with a special concert featuring some of South Korea's most celebrated classical musicians.

The foundation announced Saturday that it will hold the "45th Anniversary Commemorative Concert and Seongjeong Arts Award Ceremony" on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Seoul Arts Center's Concert Hall. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the city of Suwon, the event will donate 20 percent of all seats to young music students as part of the foundation's commitment to sharing the arts.

The program features conductor Hong Seok-won leading the Suwon City Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside pianist Baek Kun-woo, cellist Moon Tae-guk, soprano Hong Hye-ran and tenors Park Ji-hoon, Son Ji-hoon and Choi Won-hwi. The concert brings together veteran masters who have shaped South Korea's classical music scene and next-generation musicians on a single stage.

The first half opens with Bizet's "Carmen" Overture, followed by cellist Moon Tae-guk — a Seongjeong Music Competition alumnus — performing Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme." Pianist Baek Kun-woo then closes the first half with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25.

The second half features Hong Hye-ran and the three tenors performing "Tonight" from the musical "West Side Story," followed by celebrated opera arias by Puccini, Donizetti and Gounod. The concert concludes with a medley of Korean art songs, including "To the Land of Hope," "River of My Heart" and "Longing for Geumgangsan."

Founded in 1981 with the establishment of the Nanpa Boys and Girls Choir, the Seongjeong Cultural Foundation has spent 45 years nurturing musical talent through youth music education, scholarship programs and the Seongjeong Music Competition. Since the 1990s, it has also organized touring concerts at middle and high schools across the country to broaden access to the arts.

"This commemorative concert is an occasion to look back on 45 years of connecting people through music and to cheer on the growth of the next generation of musicians," a foundation official said.