Asia's Largest Opera Festival Expands Through Global Collaboration and Cultural Exchange

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept. 24, 2025 -- The 22nd Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF) will run from September 26 to November 8, 2025, under the theme "Per Sempre (Forever)." Over six weeks, the festival will celebrate opera's enduring resonance while reinforcing Daegu's identity as "the City of Opera."

Launched in 2003, DIOF has become Asia's largest international opera festival, attracting over 1 million visitors and building strong partnerships with leading theaters and artists worldwide.

Festival Highlights

• Opening Production: Verdi's Il Trovatore – A Daegu Opera House production that captures the essence of 19th-century romantic opera with modern stagecraft.
• Bizet's Carmen – Presented by the Yeongnam Opera Company, combining popular melodies with dramatic intensity.
• Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro – Performed by a cast of emerging global artists, showcasing the festival's commitment to nurturing new talent.
• Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice – A Daegu Opera House production previously acclaimed at the Saaremaa Opera Festival in Estonia, closing the 2025 edition.
• New Creation: Miin – A contemporary Korean operatic work inspired by painter Shin Yun-bok's Portrait of a Beauty, blending traditional aesthetics with modern imagination.
• Special Gala Concert: One Stage, One Heart of the East – Celebrating the 2025–2026 Korea-Japan-China Year of Cultural Exchange, with leading opera houses and artists from the three countries sharing the stage.

Expanding Global Reach

DIOF goes beyond performances to serve as a platform for international collaboration. Selected for Korea's 2025 Market Hub Initiative, the festival will lead co-productions, repertoire exchange, and young artist programs. The Global Opera Market and Daegu Opera Forum will host repertoire pitching, roundtables, and networking with international theaters and casting directors, strengthening Daegu's role as a cultural and industry hub.

A Symbol of East Asian Solidarity

The tri-national gala with Korea's Daegu Opera House, Japan's Fujiwara Opera Company, and China's National Centre for the Performing Arts highlights East Asia's shared artistic heritage while presenting a vision for future cooperation. This collaboration embodies opera's power as a bridge across cultures.

About Daegu Opera House

Opened in 2003 as Korea's first dedicated opera production theater, Daegu Opera House has led the globalization of K-opera through in-house productions and international collaborations. Recognized as a UNESCO City of Music since 2017, Daegu continues to build its reputation as Asia's leading "City of Opera."