Goyang Expands Local Arts Scene Through Collaboration Between Venues and Resident Arts Organizations

From Experimental Chamber Music to Grand Symphonies
First Achievement of Goyang Aram Nuri and Going Home Project Collaboration
Building a Circulating Platform Connecting Venues, Arts Organizations, and Education
A City That Learns and Grows with World-Class Musicians

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) has launched a collaborative model that combines the capabilities of Goyang Aram Nuri and local arts organizations, providing high-quality arts programs and expanding the base of performing arts in the region.

The first performance of Going Home Project, selected as the resident group of Goyang Aram Nuri this year, Label & Shostakovich. Provided by Goyang Special City

According to Goyang Special City on the 30th, the Goyang Cultural Foundation, an affiliated organization of the city, secured a project budget of 100 million won through the "2025 Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation Resident Company Support Project." The foundation has selected and is supporting the orchestra "Going Home Project," which includes more than 60 world-class performers, as the resident company of Goyang Aram Nuri.

The plan is to build a regionally centered arts ecosystem model through collaboration between the performance venue and the arts organization, strengthening the role of the arts platform where creation, performance, and education circulate within a single space.

From Unique Performances to Grand Symphonies... A Diverse Array of Stages

Earlier this month, a unique classical performance was held at the Saerasae Theater in Goyang Aram Nuri. "Going Home Project × Saerasae Classic," which took advantage of the black box space of the Saerasae Theater, offered a new experience where attendees could freely choose their seats, enjoy drinks, and listen to classical music, earning enthusiastic responses from the audience.

In its first year as the resident company at Goyang Aram Nuri, Going Home Project has presented a diverse repertoire through four performances.

Starting with "Label & Shostakovich," which commemorated the 150th anniversary of Ravel's birth and the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich's passing in July-featuring "Bolero" and Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" on a single stage-the project continued in August with "2025 Going Home: The Gala," which brought together representative works by composers whose birth or death anniversaries are marked this year. These performances expanded the enjoyment of classical music with repertoires that balance popularity and artistry.

On December 9, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral," which sold out all seats at the Seoul Arts Center last year, will be performed to mark the culmination of the first year as resident company. This year, the program will include a collaboration with pianist Yeol Eum Son, adding another layer of enjoyment.

Yeol Eum Son, who leads the Going Home Project, said, "Just as orchestras around the world have grown together with their own concert halls, I hope the Going Home Project can create our own sound together with Goyang Aram Nuri."

Going Home Project × Saerasae Classic was held in a unique format where attendees freely moved around, enjoyed drinks, and listened to classical music. Provided by Goyang Special City

Collaboration Between Venues and Arts Organizations Drives New Expansion of Regional Culture

Opened in 2007, Goyang Aram Nuri is a complex performing arts venue comprising the Aram Theater (an opera house with 1,887 seats), the Aram Music Hall (a concert hall with 1,449 seats boasting top-tier acoustics), and the Saerasae Theater (a flexible small theater with 304 seats).

The Goyang Cultural Foundation has promoted the resident company project to increase the utilization rate of performance venues, foster a stable creative environment using its infrastructure, and strengthen the capabilities of local arts organizations.

This year, by selecting Going Home Project as the resident company and utilizing both a 100 million won grant from the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation and its own budget, the foundation is driving the co-growth of the venue and the arts organization.

The orchestra Going Home Project, led by Yeol Eum Son, includes more than 60 musicians from major orchestras around the world, such as Svetlin Roussev, professor at the Paris Conservatoire; Cho Inhyuk, former principal at the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; and Cho Sunghyun, former principal flutist at the Cologne G?rzenich Orchestra. Without a fixed conductor, the musicians themselves interpret and plan performances using a "play-direct" approach, creating creative interpretations and new repertoires.

Nam Hyun, CEO of the Goyang Cultural Foundation, emphasized, "When performance venues and arts organizations collaborate based on mutual trust, creation becomes sustainable, which in turn leads to the self-reliance and expansion of the local cultural ecosystem. The partnership between Goyang Aram Nuri and the Going Home Project will serve as a prime example of this."

Pianist Yeol Eum Son Goyang Arts High School Masterclass held at Aram Music Hall, Goyang Aram Nuri. Provided by Goyang Special City

A City That Learns from World-Class Musicians... Growth and Exchange Opportunities for Local Talent

The Goyang Cultural Foundation has expanded the activities of its resident arts organization to educational programs, fostering the development of local talent. By connecting performance venues, schools, and arts organizations, the city is transforming from a place that merely consumes performances into one where people can learn and grow through the arts.

Last month, the "Going Home Academy Intensive Class" was held at Goyang Aram Nuri, where violinist Svetlin Roussev and flutist Cho Sunghyun provided one-on-one masterclasses to students selected from each major, three per discipline.

Each 40-minute lesson was conducted as an open class, allowing general students to directly observe the skills and advice of world-class musicians. In August, Yeol Eum Son also held a masterclass for students at Goyang Arts High School, sharing her stage experience and musical insights while communicating with the students.

As a result, local music talent now has the opportunity to meet and interact with world-class musicians, expanding the professional music education that was once concentrated in Seoul to Goyang.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City. Photo by Goyang Special City

Through such collaboration between performance venues and arts organizations, Goyang Aram Nuri is establishing itself as an arts and culture platform where creation, enjoyment, and education circulate, expanding the base of local arts.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City and Chairman of the Goyang Cultural Foundation, stated, "A city with a creation ecosystem centered on its performance venues cultivates its own cultural assets. Through collaboration with high-quality resident arts organizations, we will develop Goyang Aram Nuri into a cultural platform frequented by world-class artists."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.