"Icheon Cultural Mission 2024" is part of Icheon Cultural Foundation's Local Culture Branding Project and consists of four performances that are held in Belgium and France on four separate dates. Sorodha and Love²Arts handle the practical side of the organization of the Belgian events.  More information and reservation details regarding the March 24 event in Clermont-Ferrand can be found here.

March 20 at 8pm: AMUZ
Kammenstraat 81, 2000 Antwerp
March 21 at 6pm: UCLouvain
Salle de la Tapisserie (Les Halles), Place de l'Université 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
March 22 at 8pm: W-Halll
Av. Charles Thielemans 93, 1150 Brussels

Program (Belgium):

Part 1:

Icheon Turtle Play
Icheon Turtle Play originated from the agricultural society in the center of the Korean peninsula. It is a ritualistic folk play of a spiritual nature, mostly played during Chuseok — a mid-autumn harvest festival. It consists of people moving around the village with a turtle made up of dried corn stalk, wishing everyone good health and prosperity. It has become an Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea.

Lead performer: Yeonha Park; Translator: Jisoo Chae;
Performers: Taegyeom Yu, Jinwoo Park, Eunji Shin, Yubin Choi, Seolhee Hong, Hyunsil Kim, Aekyung Hwang, Taesung Byun, Hoyoung Lee, Jaeyeon Won, Sungyong Lee, Doyoung Choung, Younggwang Choi and Jinkyung Jang.

Special stage
Korean Children Song duet performed by Yulhee Chae (11-year-old grand awardee of the Korean Children's Song Contest) and baritone Eungkwang Lee (CEO of the Icheon Cultural Foundation).
- "Dear Mommy & Sister" and more

Part 2:

K-Classic
Performed by the Lucete Ensemble
- A. Dvořák – Piano Quintet #2 in A major, 1st mvt – Allegro, ma non tanto
- Gyeongi folk song "Taepyoung ga" (arranged by Uram Kim)
Piano: Uram Kim
First violin: Huiyeon Park
Second violin: Geunwoo Kim
Viola: Geonhee Kim
Cello: Gwangkyun Moon

Opera duet
Performed by soprano Lisa Mostin (Belgium) and baritone Eungkwang Lee (Korea) accompanied by Soyoung Lee
- Korean traditional song "Bonjo Arirang" (arr. by Da:um)
- G. Verdi – "È strano... Ah, fors'è lui... Sempre libera"
- G. Verdi – "Si, vendetta, tremenda vendetta" from "Rigoletto"
- D. Winner – "Ich liebe dich"
- F. Lehár – "Lippen schweigen" from "Die lustige Witwe"

Main performers (Belgium):

Eungkwang Lee
After studying at Seoul National University, Eungkwang Lee came to Germany to continue his training at the Hanns Eisler University of Music with Prof. Anneliese Fried.
His many awards include the 1st prize of the Alexander Girardi International Singing Competition in Coburg, the 1st and the special prize of the Riccardo Zandonai International Singing Competition in Riva del Garda and 1st prize at the Ernst Haefliger Concours in Bern/Gstaad.
He is also a prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, the Hilde Zadek Competition in Vienna, the Seoul International Singing Competition and the Grand Prix Maria Callas in Athens.
Eungkwang Lee made his debut at the Seoul Art Center Opera House, the Korean National Opera, in 2007. With the Theater Basel ensemble, he has appeared in many opera's, including "Madame Butterfly", "Le nozze di Figaro", "Queen of Spades", "Aida", "Carmen", "Don Pasquale" and "Così fan tutte". He was also invited to the Musica Riva Festival every summer from 2008 to 2019.
In 2023, he was appointed CEO of the Icheon Cultural Foundation and was named a jury member of the 2023 Riccardo Zandonai International Singing Competition.

Lisa Mostin
Coloratura soprano Lisa Mostin studied at the conservatory of Maastricht with Axel Everaert and in Florence with Margherita Rinaldi. During private lessons and masterclasses, she studied with internationally renowned musicians.
Lisa Mostin is one of Belgium's rising talents. She has been invited by world class opera houses in some of the most demanding roles. After having built her career in Germany at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Stuttgart and Oper Bonn, she was one of three Music Theater Performer-nominees of the "Der Faust" Theater Prize in 2023 with her performance of La Compagna in "Intolleranza". She is also a finalist of the International Clermont-Ferrand Singing Competition.
Lisa is also writing a libretto for her first opera production featuring Vanessa Redgrave.