And now let's shift to our arts and culture segment with our Yim Yoonhee.
Good afternoon.
Now that monsoon season is over, we've truly entered the dog days of summer.
The weather is hot as ever,... but you have a performance for us today that'll help offset
the cost of keeping cool
That's right.
These days,... one thousand won, or about one U.S. dollar won't buy you much.
You can maybe get a pack of gum or a bottle of water, but in terms of performances and
concerts, one thousand won can't take you very far,... or can it?
It can, and it will.
One-thousand won will buy you a beautiful summer night filled with harmonious sounds,....
and it'll buy you the sweet music made by a bow against the strings of a cello and a
violin.
"This was a fantastic event that I can't believe I was able to see with just one-thousand won.
I didn't realize how much one-thousand won could buy these days "
"It's such a cheap price.
I can easily bring the kids here as well.
It would be nice to see more events like this where we can watch performances with just
about anyone."
One-thousand won gets you this ticket, which gets you entrance to the "Happiness of One-Thousand
Won" program, something that aims to bring classical music within grasp to the general
public.
Since 2007 the program has grown immensely in size, and now tickets must be reserved
in advance.
Most tickets are reserved online, on the 5th through 7th of every month that the concert
takes place.
July's performances, held under the theme of "Chamber Music at Midnight," includes the
works of up and coming musicians such as this violinists.
Kim Bomsori is a passionate and talented young musician.
She's displayed excellence in her art, and is recognized so, by performing in large and
reputable venues like the Sejong Center.
This is just one of many programs the Sejong Center constructs in order to raise talented
young musicians like Kim, and bolster their reputations in the classical music realm.
"The audience here is filled with people who don't regularly attend these kinds of concerts,
which makes it all the more special.
There are still many people not familiar with classical music, so we want to lower the barrier,
and help them come in to experience all that there is to offer.
This concert is very unique, and I wish there were more just like it."
One-thousand won well spent,... but here in these chamber halls, amongst neighbors and
friends, it doesn't seem to be about the price, but instead, about a summer night made better
by the happiness of one-thousand won.
This performance only runs through tonight.
And you mentioned in the report that tickets need to be purchased far in advance.
Right, so tonight will actually be a rising violist performing but,... sad news,...
unfortunately this round of July's performances have already sold out.
They do have 5 more installments to this year's concerts, and they'll take place almost every
month for the rest of this year.
With each series, the themes do change, so they have for instance a lovely fall Gugak
performance set for later this year,... as well as a Christmas concert to finish off
this year's Happiness for 1,000 won concerts.
Last year they saw 6,000 audience members overall, so the program itself is very effective
and popular as well.
So for those interested, I highly, highly recommend grabbing those tickets online as
soon as they become available, which is the 5th through 7th of that month.
This definitely seems like a concert with the general public in mind.
Yes, but getting your hands on tickets is very difficult, because of its popularity.
They also set aside a few tickets for "Good Citizen" recommendations.
If you know someone who you feel deserves to attend this concert, or someone who is
new to music and might be interested, you can actually submit an application on their
behalf either via fax or email explaining why that person might be a good candidate
to receive a ticket.
Thank you for that report.
Always a pleasure.