World-class festivals, orchestras, soloists fill Seoul's concert halls in H2

Seoul's classical calendar for the second half of the year begins in earnest with the 2026 Seoul Arts Center's International Music Festival, which runs Aug. 18 to 23 at the Seoul Arts Center under the theme "Pack Your Summer with Classics." Conductor Lee Seungwon and the SAC Festival Orchestra bookend the six-day event, opening with an all-Ravel program alongside pianist Kevin Chen — who drew wide attention at the 2025 Chopin Competition — and closing with an all-Shostakovich night featuring cel