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| Poster for Lucia di Lammermoor Courtesy of SeAH Woon Hyung Lee Foundation |
By Lee Kyung-min
The SeAH Woon Hyung Lee Foundation will hold its seventh concert at Seoul Arts Center next Saturday, in memory of Lee Woon-hyung, the late SeAH Group chairman who was a classical opera enthusiast, the foundation said Thursday.
This year's performance will feature Lucia di Lammermoor, a tragic opera in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It will be streamed live on YouTube starting at 7 p.m.
The foundation said this year's event would help lift the spirits of many people feeling depression and fatigue from the drawn-out COVID-19 pandemic.
"In-person cultural experiences have been curtailed drastically and largely disappeared over the past few years due to the pandemic," the foundation said. "We hope the event will provide people with a healthy break from the seemingly unending crisis."
The opera will be directed by Stephen Carr, an associate professor of opera and musical theater studies at Eastman School of Music in the U.S.
A stage director, performer and educator, his work in the world of opera, musical theater and operetta has taken him across the United States, Europe and Asia.
State-of-the-art stage design will be supervised by Charles Murdoch Lucas. In addition, David Yi, an artist sponsored by the foundation, will conduct the Korean Symphony Orchestra.
The foundation said the annual event is part of its years-long effort to honor the late chairman's wishes and foster classical music. Founded in August 2013, the foundation's main mission is to commemorate and continue Lee's passion and patronage of the arts. It provides scholarships and other academic support to students from low-income families and sponsors classical music concerts.
"We express deep, sincere gratitude to all artists who have tried their best under COVID-19 conditions, and hope that the beautiful collaborations among artists around the world will be thoroughly received by all viewers."
Lee, widely known for his love of art and generous sponsorship, served as the first chairman of the National Opera of Korea from 2000 to 2007. He made generous contributions to help install the Korea exhibit at the University of Michigan, as well as providing scholarships to music departments at Seoul National University and Korea National University of Arts.
Lee died of heart failure in March 2013 while on an overseas business trip. He is the son of SeAH founder Lee Jong-duk.
