Daegu International Opera Festival
Daegu International Opera Festival
A Representative Performing Arts Festival in Korea and a Mecca for Opera in Asia
The largest internatioanl opera in Asia, the Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF) has been held for 20 consecutive years since 2003, the year when the Daegu Opera House opened. The festival, which is held over one month every autumn, draws the audience from all over the country. It is considered to help people get familiar with opera and play a significant role in the development of local arts and culture.
The DIOF has been reported to have 500,000 audience since the beginning. With the participation of opera theaters and organizations from 108 countries, including Italy, Germany, and Russia, the festival is enhancing its status based on continuous international exchanges.
Results of the Daegu International Opera Festival in the Last Five Years (2012- 2018)
| Year | No. of Events (Scale) | Major Works | No. of Participant Artists | No. of Audiences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 (12th) |
136 (performances: 21, special/additional events: 115) |
|
1,904 (domestic: 1,837 / foreign from 12 countries: 67 ) | 35,767 |
| 2015 (13th) |
139 (performances: 27, special/additional events: 112) |
|
2,549(domestic: 2,177 / foreign from 12 countries: 372) | 35,692 |
| 2016 (14th) |
139 (performances: 23, special/additional events: 116) |
|
2,102 (domestic: 1,870 / foreign from 22 countries: 232) | 86,926 |
| 2017 (15th) |
142 (performances: 32, special/additional events: 110) |
|
1,770 (domestic: 1,565 / foreign from 14 countries: 206) |
40,364 |
| 2018 (16th) |
137 (performances 30, special/additional events: 107) |
|
1,612 (domestic: 1,580 / foreign from 15 countries: 32) |
49,232 |
With the opening of the Daegu Opera House in August 2003, the plan was drawn up to forge the city into a mecca for opera in the world, and the 2003 Daegu Festival was organized as an initial move. In 2018, the 16th Daegu International Opera Festival shows 93 percent of the ticket sales, proving the power of the "Performing Arts-Centered City in Daegu" once again.
Positioning itself early on as a cultural brand representing "Performing Arts City Daegu", the festival has grown beyond the city and became a representative festival in Asia. Undoubtedly, excellent human resources and outstanding facilities such as the Daegu Opera House have provided a fertile ground for the thriving of the festival.
As a large-scale opera festival based on a singular integrated system from planning to production, which is quite rare in Korea, the DIOF has contributed to the development of Korean opera and at the same time, generated positive effects such as enhanced branding of the city, revitalization of tourism by attracting spectators from other cities, and the growth of related industries. By doing so the festival was rated at the highest rank in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2017 on the assessment results of Government-supported project by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, targeting local specialized performing arts and festivals.
Posters of the Daegu International Opera Festival, 2003-2023
International Exchanges of the Daegu Opera House
| City / Organization of Agreement | Content of Agreement | Date of Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Prague National Theater (Národní divadlo), Czech Republic | Establish a sister theater relationship | 2005. |
| Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany | Establish a sister theater relationship | 2005. |
| Hangzhou Theatre, China | Local performance of La Traviata produced by the Daegu Opera House | Oct. 2010 |
| Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany | First performance in Europe of Madama Butterfly produced by the Daegu Opera House | April. 2011 |
| Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival, Turkey | Local performance of La Traviata produced by the Daegu Opera House | June. 2012 |
| Theatre Wroclaw, Poland | Local performance of co-produced opera Carmen | May. 2013 |
| Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany | Korean singers’ performance in La Traviata | May. 2014 |
| Teatro Municipale Giuseppe Verdi di Salerno, Italy | Local performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia produced by the Daegu Opera House | May. 2014 |
| Theater Bonn, Germany | Korean singers’ performance in Madama Butterfly | June. 2016 |
| JMS Aster Plaza, Hiroshima, Japan | Local performance of La Bohème produced by the Daegu Opera House | May. 2017 |
| Taipei National Theatre, Taiwan | Local performance of co-produced opera Il trittico | July. 2017 |
| Hungarian State Opera House, Budapest, Hungary | Local performance of creative opera ‘Immortal Love’ as concertante | April. 2019 |
