At a time when the scars of the Korean War remained deep, there were artists who remained in the area even after the refugee artists returned to Seoul and tried to comfort the hearts of citizens through music.
Vocalist Lee Jeong-hee (1915-1991) is the person who laid the foundation for today’s ‘Daegu Opera City’ by joining forces with local musicians to promote the symphony movement and opera movement.
An exhibition will be held to reflect on Lee Jeong-hee’s art and life, as well as the ‘desire for opera’ he harbored throughout his life.
The Daegu Culture and Arts Archive Open Storage Theme Exhibition ‘Dedication_Baritone Lee Jeong-hee for Desire, Love and Life’ will welcome visitors at the Daegu Culture and Arts Archive Open Storage (3rd floor, Daegu Arts Power Plant) until May 31.
This exhibition introduces some of Lee Jeong-hee’s belongings and materials that were donated for the first time by Daegu Metropolitan City in the process of building a culture and arts archive.
This is a linked exhibition of 『Daegu Artist Record CollectionⅠ_Vocalist Lee Jeong-hee』 (published by Daegu Metropolitan City, page 252) published in December last year, and illuminates the life of an artist in three dimensions through records and exhibitions.
The exhibition follows Lee Jeong-hee’s growth years as a vocalist, educator, music activist, and opera activist. In particular, the ‘3rd Lee Jeong-hee Recital Pamphlet’ (March 11, 1955, Central National Theater/Old Hanil Theater), which is introduced as ‘Collection of the Month’, is a material that vividly shows the solidarity of artists who remained in the region after the war and sought to promote culture and arts.
In the exhibition hall, you can also see the journey of becoming a musician after being introduced to the organ and music as a child, as well as performance materials from the first recital in 1939 to the 1986 Kohi Memorial Concert. In addition, you can look at the traces of educators who worked to cultivate local musical talent, including records of working as a professor at the opening of Hyosung Women’s University during the war, operating Daegu Music High School, and serving as professors at Mokpo National University of Education and Yeungnam University through photos and appointment letter materials.
In addition, materials confirming that Lee Jeong-hee’s name was present at major turning points in Daegu music history, such as the formation of the Daegu Music Research Society and the Daegu Music Association and the symphony movement, as well as newspaper articles from the time containing his dedicated efforts to stage opera despite difficult conditions are also displayed. His words in the interview, “Cultivating the Daegu opera world is my faith,” still resonate deeply to this day.
In addition to his musical activities, the scores of school songs he composed and the guestbook of the Hee Gallery, which he operated to raise funds for operas, show his character as an artist who laid the foundation for local culture.
In the video corner, a video of Lee Jeong-hee’s Gohi Memorial Concert held at the Oriole Theater at Daegu Children’s Center (now Children’s World) on May 3, 1986 is released. You can also see a video of Lee Jeong-hee’s memorial concert in October 1991, the year of his death, in which his colleagues and junior musicians participated. This concert was decorated with arias from the opera that opened when Lee Jeong-hee served as the director of the Daegu Opera Company.
Hwang Bo-ran, director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Department of Daegu Metropolitan City, said, “I hope that this exhibition will be an opportunity to revisit the sacrifice and passion of artists who raised the city with music from the ruins of the Korean War and the beginning of Daegu opera.” He added, “I hope that it will be an opportunity to confirm the roots of Daegu, which is a UNESCO creative city of music and where the Daegu International Opera Festival is held, and to reflect on its original intention.”
date: 2026-02-09 17:51:00
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