Opening the Door to a New World: 2026 Paju Cultural Foundation New Year's Concert

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Hello!

Happy New Year 2026, albeit a bit late!

I want to share my experience of attending the 2026 Paju Cultural Foundation New Year's Concert.

On Friday, January 9th, I attended the concert held at the Unjeong Happiness Center's grand auditorium.

When I booked the tickets, Dvořák's 'From the New World' was featured as the main program, and I was concerned it might be a bit challenging for my 8-year-old.

However, I found the atmosphere to be much more comfortable and enjoyable than I expected!

It was a welcoming environment for children.

The age recommendation was 7 years and older.

Tickets were free, and they could be reserved through the Paju Cultural Foundation.

Each person was allowed a maximum of two tickets!

Just seeing the bright lights of the large electronic board in front of the Happiness Center made me feel excited.

The auditorium was located in the building to the right, and there was a sculpture resembling a treble clef right in front of it.

We took a commemorative photo in front of the large banner before entering and collected our tickets at the desk.

I was seated in Row A, Seat 56 on the left side aisle, and the view of the stage was quite good!

The concert was conducted by Lee Yong-geun, and the Paju International Festival Orchestra delivered a fantastic performance.

We were especially thrilled to hear the incredible voice of soprano Shim Kyu-yeon.

When she appeared on stage, all eyes were on her, especially in her stunning red dress that perfectly matched the Year of the Red Horse.

During the concert, they performed 'A Whole New World'!

Hearing this song, which my child loves, sung beautifully with orchestral accompaniment made my child sparkle with joy.

It was adorable to see her so focused and enjoying the performance, and I felt grateful we attended together.

After the show, she kept saying it felt like Princess Jasmine had appeared.

In the next piece, they performed with castanets brought from Spain, incorporating song and dance, and my child was mesmerized.

This was a memorable moment, as I had never seen such scenes in a classical concert before.

The performer humbly mentioned her dance and castanet skills weren't perfect, but she did an amazing job.

We were all captivated by her singing, dancing, and castanet playing.

The piece I was most looking forward to was 'From the New World,' a symphony composed by Antonín Dvořák in the 1890s while he was in New York.

At that time, America was a country with a culture and history completely different from Europe, full of new possibilities.

Dvořák expressed the newness and energy he felt in America, along with the longing for his home in Czech.

While the string instruments were delightful, my child seemed more impressed by the percussion instruments.

Every time the triangle rang out, she would look up, and when the timpani played rapidly, she exclaimed how fast it was.

During intermission, she had many questions about the instruments.

Through my child's eyes, I realized that the points of focus in music differ between adults and children.

Although it was a relatively long duration for her, seeing her so engaged and happy made me think about how satisfying this experience was!

The conductor returned for an encore after the audience cheered, and he had prepared the lyrics for 'Land of Hope' in the program book.

The audience stood up and sang along with the orchestra, and soprano Shim Kyu-yeon also joined in!

The final encore was 'Between Heaven and Hell, Can Can,' which was a lively and fitting conclusion to the New Year's concert.

As we left, my child expressed a desire to hear it again, saying it was really fun.

Thanks to this concert, my child naturally encountered new pieces of music, realizing that classical music can be 'enjoyed' rather than seen as 'study.'

I felt proud that my child was even more touched than I was.

It was wonderful to have such a high-level concert nearby at the Unjeong Happiness Center, and I was even more satisfied that it was an enjoyable experience for us both.

I hope to attend next year's New Year's concert if given the chance!

Just like I felt at 'From the New World,' I wish for 2026 to be a year full of newness and energy!

Images from the event:

 
Source :https://blog.naver.com/paju_si/224154318743

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