Enjoy Busan
Maiden voyage in C major: Busan Concert Hall charts new course
Inspired by the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, architects designed the main auditorium for optimal acoustics and aesthetics.
The airy lobby and white interior create an inviting atmosphere befitting a civic cultural landmark.
The Busan City Children Reporters on one of their first assignments, waiting for a pre-opening concert to start.
Busan's cultural landscape is hitting a high note this summer with the grand opening of the Busan Concert Hall on June 20.
Nestled in Busan Citizens Park, the hall is surrounded by lush greenery and designed to blend seamlessly with its natural setting. The surrounding land slopes downward towards the hall, mimicking the feeling of stepping into an ancient Greek theater and subtly draws visitors to share in collective experiences.
Conductor Leonard Kwon leads an orchestra during a rehearsal for a pre-opening concert.
The pipe organ's wavy appearance echoes the undulating forms of the concert hall building and surrounding parkland.
Many of those experiences will center around the venue's prized pipe organ, the first installed outside the Seoul metro area and only the fourth in Korea. Built by the German company Freiburger Orgelbau, the organ stands nine meters tall and 16 meters wide, with 4,427 pipes and 64 stops. It took 16 months to install and now sits proudly behind the choir seats in the main hall. Often called the "King of Instruments," it delivers a sound so full and rich that it can rival an entire orchestra.
The 2,011-seat main hall adopts a vineyard-style layout, with the stage at the center and seating arranged in tiers around it. This design, seen in venues like the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, enhances acoustics and fosters intimacy between the performers and the audience.
The stage comprises 20 adjustable platforms to accommodate various performance formats, from solo recitals to large orchestras and opera galas. Above, adjustable acoustic reflectors can be tilted to fine-tune sound quality depending on the performance type.
The intimate, 400-seat Chamber Hall will host chamber music, solo recitals and other small-scale performances.
A multipurpose rehearsal studio doubles as a dressing room for performers.
In addition to the main hall, the venue includes a 400-seat chamber hall, perfect for smaller performances such as chamber music, solo recitals and cultural events. Both halls are equipped with projectors and screens for subtitles or multimedia presentations.
Excitement is already soaring. Tickets for the Opening Festival, June 21 to 28, sold out within five minutes of release. The lineup features world-renowned conductor Myung-whun Chung, musicians Sayaka Shoji, Jian Wang, Seong-jin Cho and Yekwon Sunwoo, alongside performances by the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Busan Metropolitan Chorus and the National Chorus of Korea.
Those who missed out on tickets can still enjoy world-class performances later this year, as the Busan Concert Hall will host renowned orchestras including the Sejong Soloists, Filarmonica della Scala, the London Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw. Information on scheduled performances, accessibility and ticket sales can be found at (classicbusan.busan.go.kr).
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