The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST) will host the 2026 New Year’s Concert on January 7 (Wednesday) at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center to welcome 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse.

Under the theme “Powerful and Dynamic Energy to Open a New Era,” the concert will musically showcase both the present and the promising future of Korea as it continues its journey toward becoming a leading cultural nation. Attendees will include members of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee and the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, both launched in 2025, along with figures from across the cultural and arts community and distinguished leaders from the legislative, judicial, and administrative offices. Tickets will also be available for purchase by the general public.

From creative contemporary works to the essence of the classics

The New Year’s Concert will open with a performance of the composition Sujecheon Resounds by composer Choi Woo-jung, recipient of the 2025 Culture and Arts Award. Through this work, the concert will convey wishes for a long and peaceful life as enduring as the heavens in 2026. The concert will continue with performances by other internationally acclaimed artists. Violinist Lim Ji-young, winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition, will perform Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28. Pianist brothers Lee Hyuk and Lee Hyo, who drew widespread attention by advancing together to the third round of the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition, will present Bach’s Concerto for Two Keyboards in C minor, BWV 1062. These artists will be joined by conductor Hong Seok-won, professor in the College of Music, Seoul National University, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra.

From screen to stage: K-content reinterpreted for an orchestra

The concert program also presents music from K-drama and K-animation that have captivated the hearts of many in Korea and around the world. The Jeju folk song “Neoyeong Nayeong,” featured in the drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, will be reinterpreted for orchestra. The signature soundtrack numbers “Golden” and “Soda Pop” from the animation K-Pop Demon Hunters, which reached first and third place on the Billboard charts, respectively, will also be presented in orchestral arrangements. Through creative transformations and adaptations that transcend genre boundaries, the New Year’s Concert is expected to reaffirm the narrative depth and artistic potential of K-content on the classical stage.

The concert will end with a finale that highlights the roots of Korea as a cultural powerhouse, harmonizing the lyrical beauty of Korean art songs with resounding drum beats. The National Chorus of Korea and the Youth Education Members will perform “When I Make a Flower Bloom,” a blend of a poem by Cho Dong-hwa and music by Yoon Hak-jun, followed by “Oh! Korea–Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri,” written and composed by Woo Hyo-won, bringing the festival to a memorable close.

Tickets for the 2026 New Year’s Concert will be available through the Seoul Arts Center website (www.sac.or.kr) and NOL Ticket (tickets.interpark.com). Moreover, the concert will be streamed live nationwide on KBS 1 TV at 5:40 PM on January 11 (Sunday).