Seoul Philharmonic to Open 2027 Prague Spring Festival — First Non-European Orchestra in 80 Years
Creatrip Team
17 days ago
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has been invited to open the 82nd Prague Spring International Music Festival in 2027, marking the first time in about 80 years that a non-European orchestra will lead the festival’s traditional opening. The ensemble will perform Bedřich Smetana’s full symphonic cycle “Má vlast” (My Country) twice — the customary work that opens the festival each year on Smetana’s death anniversary. Seoul Philharmonic’s CEO Jung Jae-wal said the invitation raises the orchestra’s international stature and shows that classical music is part of the Korean Wave (Hallyu). The orchestra will finish a three-country European tour including San Sebastián, Merano, and Amsterdam, with Prague as the final stop. Under music director Jaap van Zweden, the orchestra has recently toured major venues such as Carnegie Hall and Abu Dhabi, and will present a Europe Tour preview concert — Beethoven’s Choral Symphony — in Seoul before departing.
