When I asked many people what opera is, they always said "an opera is similar to musical." or "Phantom of the Opera! Is it an opera? " Wrong! Although operas and musicals have something in common, they are clearly different and Phantom of the Opera is not an opera. It is a musical.

What is opera?

Opera is a total art form which joins music, singing, drama, poetry, plastic arts and sometimes dance. The opera's music is composed of a solo, chorus and orchestral music. The text is sung by singers in operas (they have different voices classified into six principal categories, from the more high-pitched to the lower: soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto for women and tenor, baritone and bass for men.)

Introducing Daegu International Opera Festival

Daegu International Opera Festival is one of Daegu's representative festivals and the biggest international opera festival in Asia. In the beginning, many people worried about this festival because opera is very unfamiliar genre in Daegu. Luckily, thanks to various operas and singers that are famous both at home and abroad, now Daegu is called a city of opera. Many operas are presented every year and enter famous theaters in Europe.

Introducing the 15th Daegu International Opera Festival

The 15th Daegu international Opera Festival's theme is 'OPERA&HUMAN'.

The main performance <Verdi's Rigoletto> is first up, and then <Puccini's Il Trittico>, <Verdi's Aid> which is a collaboration between Daegu Opera House and the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. Finally <Immortal Love>, a creation opera, that is premiered in 2009. will be shown during this festival. Berlin Deutche Opera and Mörbisch Operetta Festival are also preparing an opera concertante to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the opera festival. (An opera concertante is a concert opera that focuses on music itself without stage setting.) During the week, <Hänsel und Gretel>, <Rita>, <Pagliacci>, <Ihwa Couple>, series of 4 operas will be shown through many theaters in Daegu. On the last day of the festival, a Pavarotti Memorial Concert will be shown, preceded by the world-famous soprano 'Angela Gheorghiu' and ' Seung Hyeon Ko' who is one of the best baritones.

Operaphile, a Volunteer Organization

Operaphile is one thing that cannot be missed during the opera festival. Operaphile is a combination of opera and -phile. This means opera lovers. Operaphile works on various activities; backstage tour, interpretation and audience guide

The 15th Daegu International Opera Festival will be held for a month, from October 12 to November 12. On the days of the festival, there will be various events for audiences at the Daegu Opera House. (pre-concert, pre- talk, backstage tour, etc.) I think opera is a suitable festival in autumn, and Daegu university's students especially have less opportunity to see these performances compared to other university students from Daegu. If you read this article and want to know more about opera, I hope that you will visit the Daegu International Opera Festival!

L.L.F reporter Eun-Hye Han