The Mokpo City Choir delivered a profound performance that intertwined love, music, and the modern artistic history of Mokpo.
The choir held its 84th regular concert, titled 'S to S: Serenade to Soul,' on September 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mokpo Cultural Arts Center.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Kim Sun-hee and with narration by Kim Myung-joo, the concert broke away from traditional choral formats. It presented a 'narrative choral humanities concert' that connected opera, film music, and Mokpo's modern history into a cohesive story.
The performance was divided into three parts: 'Opera - Singing of Love,' 'Film - Showing of Love,' and 'Fate - From Death to Life.'
The first part featured the 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' from Verdi's opera 'Nabucco,' along with selections from Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro,' Offenbach's 'The Tales of Hoffmann,' Bizet's 'Carmen,' Donizetti's 'The Elixir of Love,' and Verdi's 'La forza del destino,' showcasing the various facets of love, including excitement, confession, passion, freedom, longing, and anguish.
The second part highlighted familiar film music, including 'Be My Love' from the movie 'The Toast of New Orleans,' 'Non ti scordar di me' from 'Forget-Me-Not,' and 'Moon River' from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'
The concert's highlight was the third part, which brought Mokpo's history and art to the present stage.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Kim Woo-jin, a playwright regarded as a pioneer of modern Korean theater from Mokpo. The choir explored the lives and artistry of Kim Woo-jin and Korea's first soprano, Yoon Sim-deok, through music, narration, and dance.
Notably, they presented Kim Woo-jin's poem 'The Theory of Death and Life' alongside music, and featured Yoon Sim-deok's recording and Franz Schubert's 'The Laughing Laurel.' The original composition 'Youth,' commissioned and premiered last year to celebrate the choir's 40th anniversary, was also revisited.
In honor of Kim Woo-jin's centenary, the choir introduced a newly commissioned poem by Kim Soo-young, 'Song Crossing the Night,' and 'Praise of Death,' reflecting on the meaning of youth, love, and art that blossomed in Mokpo a century ago.
The performance continued to resonate with the audience even after the scheduled program concluded, leading to an encore. During the encore, the choir and audience members sang together, blurring the lines between stage and audience. This interactive engagement elevated the atmosphere, transforming the concert into a shared experience rather than a passive observation.
One audience member remarked, 'The structure, starting from opera and film music and leading to the stories of Kim Woo-jin and Yoon Sim-deok, was impressive. By the end, it felt like the boundary between the stage and the audience had disappeared as we sang together.'
Kim Sun-hee, the artistic director and principal conductor of the Mokpo City Choir, stated, 'This is a story of love that has transcended time to become song. I hope that from excitement to confession, through moments on screen to the youth and writings of a single author, this song reaches the hearts of the citizens.'
Meanwhile, Mokpo Mayor Kang Sung-hwi was unable to attend the concert due to a rally schedule related to the establishment of a national medical school, but his spouse attended in his place to enjoy the concert with the citizens.
Founded in 1985, the Mokpo City Choir is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year. The choir continues to reinterpret the region's history and culture through musical performances and will present a special year-end concert in collaboration with the Mokpo City Dance Company on December 18 at the Mokpo Citizen Cultural and Sports Center.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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