Seoul International Music Festival returns to celebrate beauty of human life

The Seoul International Music Festival returns for its 18th edition with seven classical concerts in Seoul from Oct. 8-16 under the theme Bravo My Life!. The festival will be held at Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall, and Artistic Director Ryu Jea-joon says it is meant to deliver comfort, hope and joy. The closing concert on Oct. 16 will be led by Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbanski in his Korean debut.

The festival began in 2009 and is now in its 18th edition.

The seven concerts are scheduled from Oct. 8-16 at Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.

The festival will feature the SIMF Orchestra in a 103-piece configuration for the closing concert.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Polish Romantic composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, whose works will be featured through a cultural exchange program with Poland.

Tickets are available through major venue platforms, and special donation programs have been arranged for underprivileged groups.

Published Sep 30, 2026 4:37 pm KST

Updated Sep 30, 2026 6:02 pm KST

Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF) Orchestra / Courtesy of SIMF

Ryu Jea-joon, artistic director of Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF), speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Sept. 16. Courtesy of SIMF

The Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF) returns for its 18th edition with a curated series of classical music to offer comfort, hope and joy to audiences.

The festival will present seven concerts from Oct. 8-16 at the Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul under the central theme "Bravo My Life!"

Artistic Director Ryu Jea-joon framed the seven concerts into a single narrative arc reflecting human existence. The journey begins with the opening concert "Breath" and continues through "Three Portraits," "Serenade," "Light and Shadow," "Wonderful Memories," "Dichterliebe" and the closing concert "Humanity, That Brilliant Journey."

"We prepared classical music with care to deliver comfort, hope and joy, encouraging everyone who lives their daily lives faithfully," Ryu said during a recent press conference. "I hope the beautiful music played by these precious artists offers small strength, courage and warm comfort to your lives."

A poster for Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF) / Courtesy of SIMF

He said the festival will bring together musicians carrying their own stories from countries around the world, including the Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, the United States, Hungary and Poland.

"The music of harmony created by people with different backgrounds symbolizes the beauty of our society where diversity exists," Ryu said. "When we accept our differences and bless our own lives, we can become even brighter beings."

Key performers include cellist Arto Noras, tenor Ian Bostridge, trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, hornist Radovan Vlatkovic and violinist Elina Vahala.

Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbanski, artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, will make his Korean debut leading the festival's closing concert on Oct. 16 at Lotte Concert Hall. He will conduct the SIMF Orchestra in a massive 103-piece configuration.

The SIMF Orchestra serves as the festival's centerpiece alongside Ensemble Opus, featuring top Korean instrumentalists such as violinist Song Ji-won, violist Kim Sang-jin and hornist Kim Hong-bak. Emerging young talents including violinist Lee Hyun-jung and cellist Lee Jae-ri will also join the orchestra for the first time.

This year's festival will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of Polish Romantic composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909) by featuring his works for the Korean audiences as part of a cultural exchange program with Poland.

Founded in 2009, the annual event has established itself as one of Korea's premier classical music festivals. Tickets are available through major venue platforms, with special ticket donation programs arranged for underprivileged groups. For details, visit the Seoul International Music Festival’s official website .

第十八届首尔国际音乐节将于10月8日至16日在首尔举行，以“Bravo My Life!”为主题，举办七场古典音乐会。音乐节将在首尔艺术中心和乐天音乐厅举行，艺术总监柳在俊表示，音乐节旨在传递慰藉、希望和喜悦。10月16日的闭幕音乐会将由波兰指挥家克里斯托夫·乌尔班斯基执棒，这也是他首次在韩国演出。

该电影节始于2009年，现在已经举办了18届。

这七场音乐会定于10月8日至16日在首尔艺术中心和乐天音乐厅举行。

音乐节闭幕音乐会将由 SIMF 管弦乐团以 103 人的阵容进行演出。

今年是波兰浪漫主义作曲家米奇斯瓦夫·卡洛维奇诞辰 150 周年，他的作品将通过与波兰的文化交流项目进行展出。

门票可通过各大场馆平台购买，并已为弱势群体安排了特别捐赠项目。

发布于2026年9月30日下午4:37（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月30日韩国时间下午6:02

首尔国际音乐节（SIMF）管弦乐团 / 图片由SIMF提供

首尔国际音乐节（SIMF）艺术总监柳在俊于9月16日在首尔举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。图片由SIMF提供。

首尔国际音乐节（SIMF）迎来第18届，精心策划了一系列古典音乐演出，旨在为观众带来慰藉、希望和快乐。

该音乐节将于10月8日至16日在首尔艺术中心和乐天音乐厅举办七场音乐会，中心主题为“Bravo My Life！”

艺术总监柳在俊将七场音乐会编织成一个反映人类存在的叙事弧线。这段旅程始于开幕音乐会“呼吸”，随后依次是“三幅肖像”、“小夜曲”、“光与影”、“美好的回忆”、“诗人之恋”，最后以闭幕音乐会“人性，那段辉煌的旅程”落下帷幕。

柳箫然在最近的一次记者会上表示：“我们精心准备了古典音乐，希望能为大家带来慰藉、希望和快乐，鼓励每一位忠实地过好每一天的人们。我希望这些杰出艺术家演奏的美妙音乐能为你们的生活带来些许力量、勇气和温暖的慰藉。”

首尔国际音乐节（SIMF）海报 / 图片由SIMF提供

他说，音乐节将汇聚来自世界各地、讲述各自故事的音乐家，其中包括捷克共和国、西班牙、奥地利、美国、匈牙利和波兰。

“不同背景的人们共同谱写的和谐乐章，象征着我们这个多元社会的魅力，”柳说。“当我们接纳彼此的差异，并珍惜自己的生活时，我们就能成为更加光彩夺目的人。”

主要表演者包括大提琴家阿尔托·诺拉斯、男高音歌唱家伊恩·博斯特里奇、小号手谢尔盖·纳卡里亚科夫、圆号手拉多万·弗拉特科维奇和小提琴家埃琳娜·瓦哈拉。

波兰指挥家、华沙爱乐乐团艺术总监克日什托夫·乌尔班斯基将首次亮相韩国，于10月16日在乐天音乐厅执棒新加坡国际音乐节闭幕音乐会。他将指挥一支由103名乐手组成的庞大乐团。

SIMF管弦乐团与Ensemble Opus乐团共同构成音乐节的核心，乐团成员包括韩国顶尖器乐演奏家，如小提琴家宋智媛、中提琴家金相镇和圆号演奏家金洪博。此外，包括小提琴家李贤贞和大提琴家李在利在内的新锐青年音乐家也将首次加入该乐团。

今年的音乐节还将庆祝波兰浪漫主义作曲家米奇斯瓦夫·卡洛维奇（1876-1909）诞辰150周年，届时将向韩国观众展示他的作品，作为与波兰文化交流项目的一部分。

首尔国际音乐节创立于2009年，现已成为韩国首屈一指的古典音乐节之一。门票可通过各大场馆平台购买，并设有面向弱势群体的特别捐赠门票项目。详情请访问首尔国际音乐节官方网站。