The Korea National Opera has announced a two-city Asian tour featuring its National Opera Studio young artist program, with performances set for June 4 in Beijing and June 7 in Astana.

The Beijing performance will take place at the Korean Cultural Center theater, while the Astana date will be held at the Chamber Hall of the Astana Opera. The program is divided into two parts. The first features a gala concert of scenes from “Cheongsaeng Yeonbun” (A Match Made in Heaven), a contemporary Korean opera composed by Lim Jun-hee and commissioned by the Korea National Opera, with soprano Choi Young-won as Seo-hyang, soprano Jin Ju-eun as Ippeuni, tenor Kim Han-sung as Mongwan, and baritone Nam Gi-chan as Seodong.

The second half features soprano Cha Ye-eun, tenor Kim Hyun-seo, and baritone Kim Chang-hyun in a program of opera arias, including selections from Puccini’s “La Rondine,” Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette,” and Verdi’s “Macbeth,” alongside Korean art songs by composers Kim Dong-jin, Kim Sung-tae, and Cho Doo-nam.

The tour follows a successful 2025 North American run that took the young artists to New York, Washington D.C., Ottawa, and Los Angeles.

In a statement, Artistic Director Park Hye-jin said, “Following last year’s North American tour, there is special meaning in going directly to Northeast and Central Asian audiences who share a long history of cultural exchange with Korea. I hope this tour becomes an opportunity for our young artists to grow on a broader Asian stage, and for Korean opera to forge deep cultural bonds with our Asian neighbors.”

The tour is co-presented by the Korea National Opera, the Korean Cultural Center in China, and the Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan, and is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange as part of the 2026 Touring K-Arts initiative.