A guide to the top acts, exhibits in Korea for 2024

2024 will see top acts in Korea, including pianist Krystian Zimerman, Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen," and New York's Metropolitan Opera orchestra, with exhibitions of renowned artists Philippe Parreno and Do Ho Suh.

Customers browse calendars for the new year at a Kyobo Hottracks stationery store in Gwanghwamun in Jung District, central Seoul, on Dec. 27. [NEWS1]

It’s time to ring out the old and ring in the new. Last year, big names in the performance and arts sector, from Bruno Mars and Post Malone to Edward Hopper and Maurizio Cattelan, held shows in Korea that sold out tickets and attracted ginormous crowds.

The new year is no exception, as even more such occasions are in store. Kicking off 2024, Polish pianist and conductor Krystian Zimerman will hold a recital at the Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 3. The maestro is known to be close with the Korean star pianist Cho Seong-jin, even acting as Cho’s mentor.

Cho will be on stage separately, alongside the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the top three orchestras in the world, and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, each in October and November.

Another prominent pianist, Yunchan Lim, will hold performances throughout the year in January and June.

There will be a lot of first-time shows in 2024, so now may be just the chance to finally see your favorite shows or artworks in person.

In March, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” is slated to premiere its licensed production in Asia at the Chungmu Arts Center in Jung District, central Seoul. "Aladdin" is also set to raise the curtain for the very first time in Korea, in November.

The poster for ″Aladdin: The Hit Broadway Musical,″ scheduled to premiere at the Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul in November 2024 [S&CO]

The world-renowned Metropolitan Opera orchestra, based in New York and led by music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is performing in Korea for the very first time in June. It’s been a long time coming, as it was originally scheduled to visit Korea in 2022 but had to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the art scene, the Samsung Group-owned Leeum Museum of Art is working hand in hand with two global artists as they each hold their first solo museum exhibits in Korea: Philippe Parreno in February and Anicka Yi in September. Parreno will be Leeum’s biggest show yet in its 20-year history.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will highlight female artists, with exhibitions on landscape architect Jung Young-sun in April and on Asian female artists from the 1960s to present day in September.

Other celebrated artists, like Edvard Munch, Kim Tschang-yeul and Do Ho Suh, are scheduled to have shows throughout the year as well.

For pop or otherwise more mainstream music, Eric Nam, Slash, Knower, King Gnu and Jeff Bernat have already revealed plans to perform in Korea this year. As for music festival venues, the Jamsil Olympic Stadium is undergoing renovations until the end of 2026. The World DJ Festival will be at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, and the Seoul Jazz Festival at Olympic Park in southern Seoul.

The Korea JoongAng Daily has organized more major events to look forward to in 2024 below, so whip out your pen and get ready to mark your calendars.

Krystian Zimerman kicks off 2024 with a piano recital at the Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 3. [LOTTE CONCERT HALL]

January 3, 5: Krystian Zimerman Piano Recital @ Lotte Concert Hall

5: 2024 Seoul Philharmonic New Year’s Concert @ Sejong Center

7: 2024 Yiruma World Tour in Seoul @ Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

12 - March 24: School of Rock: The Musical @ Seoul Arts Center

13 - May 6: The Last Days of Pompeii @ The Hyundai Seoul

14: Korean National Symphony Orchestra 2024 Season Opening Concert @ National Theater of Korea's Haeoreum Grand Theater

24 - March 24: Musical Notre-Dame de Paris Korean Version @ Sejong Center

25: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Era with Jaap van Zweden and featuring Yunchan Lim @ Seoul Arts Center

A poster for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Era with Jaap van Zweden and featuring Yunchan Lim at the Seoul Arts Center for Jan. 25 [SEOUL ARTS CENTER]

February 1 - 5: Seoul Fashion Week 2024 Fall/Winter @ Dongdaemun Design Plaza, SFactory

1- March 3: Gim Hong-sok solo exhibition @ Kukje Gallery

14: Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra @ Seoul Arts Center

16 - 18: Universal Ballet’s Korea Emotion @ Universal Arts Center

18: Daniil Trifonov Piano Recital @ Seoul Arts Center

24: Eric Nam’s House on a Hill Asia Tour @ Mwunghwa Live Hall

27: Rafal Blechacz Piano Recital @ Seoul Arts Center

28 - July 7: Philippe Parreno solo exhibition @ Leeum Museum of Art

″My Room Is Another Fish Bowl″ (2018) by Philippe Parreno [LEEUM MUSEUM OF ART]

March 3: Tsujii Nobuyuki Piano Recital @ Seoul Arts Center

6: Jeff Bernat Asia Tour: Live in Seoul @ Myunghwa Live

7 - July 14: Steven Harrington solo exhibition @ Amorepacific Museum of Art

8: Inmo Yang & Festival Strings Lucerne @ Lotte Concert Hall

13: Anne-Sophie Mutter in Recital @ Seoul Arts Center

15 - 17: Disney Princess: The Concert (Performed Live by Broadway Stars) @ Kyung Hee University Peace Hall

20: The Vienna Symphony @ Seoul Arts Center

26 - June 16: Female and Buddhism exhibition (tentative title) @ Hoam Museum of Art

28 - June 23: Dear Evan Hansen @ Chungmu Arts Center

30: Daniil Trifonov Piano Recital @ Bucheon Arts Center

31: American electronic music duo Knower concert @ Musinsa Garage

March - June: Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Charlotte Theater

March - June: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 @ Universal Arts Center

The poster for musical ″Dear Evan Hansen,″ slated for March 2024 [S&CO]

April 20: King Gnu Asia Tour in Seoul @ Olympic Park

April - TBD: Norman Foster solo exhibition @ Seoul Museum of Art

April - Sept.: Jung Young-sun solo exhibition @ MMCA Seoul

April - Aug.: AI exhibition @ MMCA Cheongju

″Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park″ (1997-2007) by landscape architect Jung Young-sun [MMCA]

May 8: Angela Gheorghiu concert @ Seoul Arts Center

10 - 12: Universal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet @ Seoul Arts Center

22 - Sept. 19: Edvard Munch exhibition @ Seoul Arts Center's Hangaram Art Museum

31 - June 2: Seoul Jazz Festival 2024 @ Olympic Park

May - Aug.: Korean modern and contemporary embroidery exhibition @ MMCA Deoksu Palace

May - Sept.: Special exhibition on dreams @ MMCA Seoul

May - Sept.: 1960-70s figurative art exhibition @ MMCA Gwacheon

May - TBD: Kim Tschang-yeul 3rd anniversary of death exhibition @ Gallery Hyundai

The World DJ Festival will take place at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, in mid-June of 2024. [WORLD DJ FESTIVAL]

June 7 - 9: Ultra Music Festival (UMF) Korea 2024 @ Incheon Paradise City

15 - 16: 2024 World DJ Festival @ Seoul Land

15 - Aug. 22: Mozart! @ Sejong Center

16 - Aug. 6: Bernarda Alba @ Chongdong Theater

19 - 20: Metropolitan Opera orchestra @ Lotte Concert Hall

20 - 23: Art Festa Seoul 2024 @ Setec (Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention)

22: Yunchan Lim’s piano recital with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra @ Seoul Arts Center

June - September: Chicago @ D-cube Arts Center

June - TBD: Carlos Cruz-Diez exhibition @ Seoul Arts Center's Hangaram Art Museum

July 3: Ray Chen Violin Recital @ Seoul Arts Center

July - Oct.: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder @ Kwanglim Arts Center BBCH Hall

July - Dec.: Home architecture exhibition @ MMCA Gwacheon

July - TBD: Hadestown @ Charlotte Theater

August

16 - Oct. 27: Do Ho Suh solo exhibition @ Art Sonje Center

Aug. - TBD: Large-scale exhibition from SeMA's collection @ Seoul Museum of Art

″Metaspore″ (2022) by Anicka Yi [LEEUM MUSEUM OF ART]

September 3 - Jan. 19, 2025: Nicolas Party solo exhibition @ Leeum Museum of Art

3 - Feb. 23, 2025: Elmgreen & Dragset solo exhibition @ Amorepacific Museum of Art

4 - 7: Frieze Seoul @ Coex

4 - 8: Kiaf Seoul @ Coex

7 - Dec.1: Gwangju Biennale @ Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall and other select locations in Gwangju

5 - Dec. 29: Anicka Yi solo exhibition @ Leeum Museum of Art

7 - Dec.1: Gwangju Biennale @ Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall and other select locations in Gwangju

27 - 29: Universal Ballet’s La Bayadère @ Seoul Arts Center

Sept. - Feb. 2025: Asian female artists from 1960s exhibition @ MMCA Seoul

Sept. - Dec.: Lizzie @ Doosan Art Center

Conductor Riccardo Muti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, central Seoul, in 2021. [SEJONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS]

October 23, 25, 26: Vienna Philharmonic featuring pianist Cho Seong-jin @ Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall

November Nov. - March 2025: Ceramics from 1950s exhibition @ MMCA Gwacheon

20 - 21: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra featuring Cho Seong-jin @ Lotte Concert Hall

Nov. - TBD: Aladdin: The Hit Broadway Musical @ Charlotte Theater

December Dec. - TBD: Kim Sung-hwan solo exhibition @ Seoul Museum of Art

BY SHIN MIN-HEE, LEE JIAN [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]