A guitar and harp concert will be held on June 24 at Seokjojeon in Deoksugung, the palace's management office said Monday.
Seokjojeon, the first Western-style stone building commissioned by King Gojong during the Korean Empire, was completed in 1910. Records show that Korea's first pianist, Kim Young-hwan, performed before the emperor there during a royal birthday banquet. The annual Seokjojeon Concert, launched in 2015 in partnership with the Kumho Cultural Foundation, draws on that musical legacy.
This year's concert carries the theme "Eunmirok," meaning "recording hidden beauty." Guitarists Park Ji-hyung and Kim Jin-kyu, along with harpist Lee Woo-jin, will perform works including Gabriel Faure's "Impromptu for Harp, Op. 86" and Astor Piazzolla's "Tango Suite for Two Guitars." Classical music curator Lee Sang-min will serve as host, while the Kumho Soloists will accompany the performers.
The concert will offer 80 free seats. Thirty seats will be reserved for socially disadvantaged groups, while 40 of the remaining 50 seats for the general public will be allocated through an online lottery for applicants who register between 10 a.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday through the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center website.
The selected applicants will be announced on the website and notified individually at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The remaining 10 seats will be available on-site for visitors aged 65 and older, people with disabilities and foreign nationals. Admission to the palace will also be free on the day of the concert at Deoksugung as part of the monthly Culture Day program.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
