Gana Art Center donates artifacts

Lee Ho-jae, head of Gana Art Center, one of the most prominent art galleries in South Korea, donated 128 Korean artifacts to Seoul Arts Center last week. The donated items ― 74 rubbed copies of epigraphs from the ancient and medieval times and 54 calligraphy works done with Chinese black ink from th

Sept. 1, 2011

Sumi Jo voices her Bohemian spirit in 25th anniversary CD

Since coloratura soprano Sumi Jo made her international operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in Italy in 1986, the 25 years of world tours and musical explorations have made her musical life “free.”Such a free-spirited and gypsy-like image is the core concept of Jo’s latest album “Libera,”

Sept. 1, 2011

Gwangju searches for new definition of design

Co-director Ai of China unable to attend biennale; Korean director selects Chinese artist’s work for 10 most important exhibitsGWANGJU ― A day may be too short to enjoy everything the 4th Gwangju Design Biennale has to offer. The nation’s biggest design biennale kicked off its 52-day run on Thursday

Sept. 1, 2011

Pop diva to star in musical ‘Cats’

Insooni to play the famous cat Grizabella along with Park Hae-mi and Hong Ji-minKorea’s diva Insooni is certainly a multitasker. And an amazing one.On top of singing the theme song for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu and appearing on MBC TV’s “I Am a Singer,” (better known as “Nagasu”) the 54-

Aug. 31, 2011

SM Town Live Tour goes to N.Y.

K-pop groups will fly to New York to hold the SM Town Live World Tour at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 23, after holding a series of concerts in Seoul, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo.Joint concerts by K-pop groups affiliated with the entertainment agency have played a significant role in creating a ne

Aug. 31, 2011

Rocker Yi Sung-yol ‘runs to stand still’

Singer-songwriter holds month-long concert to celebrate his third albumWhile idol-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie scene has received relatively little attention. This is the eighth installment of a series of interviews shedding light on the scene. ― Ed.Singer-s

Aug. 30, 2011

K-pop concert coming to PyeongChang

The Korea Tourism Organization said it will hold a K-pop concert on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Alpensia Sky Jumping Special Stage in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, to promote tourism there.  Super Junior (SM Entertainment)The city has been attracting growing attention from international travelers

Aug. 30, 2011

Girls’ Generation member injured in car accident

S.M. Entertainment said Sooyoung, a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation, was injured in a car accident on Sunday morning and will not be able to participate in the upcoming SM Town Live Concerst in Tokyo.The singer was heading to Cheonan for a volunteer work for the visually impared when the

Aug. 29, 2011

Taiwanese orchestra to play world folk music

Taiwanese orchestra, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, will hold a Korea tour in September to introduce a wide range of world folk music to the Korean audience. The ESO, led by conductor and music director Gernot Schumalfuss, is to hold a concert on Sept. 4 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall an

Aug. 29, 2011

Perry wins top award, but Beyonce baby tops show

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s offspring doesn’t even have a name yet, but it was the indisputable breakout star of Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, upstaging everyone, even Katy Perry’s win for video of the year.Perry, who had the most nominations coming into the show with 10, came away with three moonman tro

Aug. 29, 2011

Rhino horn thieves fooled by replicas in U.K. heist

LONDON (AP) ― Fake rhino horns, anyone? That’s all thieves who broke into a British museum have to show after a misguided robbery early Saturday.The thieves were seeking valuable rhino horns that can be sold in illicit markets for their purported aphrodisiac and medicinal use, but they left with wor

Aug. 28, 2011

Two different worlds divided by a thin layer of paper

Japanese artist Takashi Kuribayashi explores bordersThe surreal experience could best be explained as a moment experiencing a bugs’ eye view. Everything was mystically white at beyond museum in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. Stepping in under the large, thin and uneven sheet of Japanese traditional

Aug. 28, 2011

Rare Joseon court music forms harmonies at dawn

‘Day Break at Changgyeong Palace’ presents unique cultural experienceIt is 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and Changgyeonggung, one of the five grand palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, is enveloped in haze and dewy air.In spite of the early hour, the gallery behind Myeongjeongjeon hall of the palace is co

Aug. 26, 2011

Classical Music

“2011 Ensemble DITTO Encore Recital”: Male ensemble group Ditto will hold an encore recital tour to thank fans for coming to their annual summer festival. Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, violinist Stefan Pi Jackiw, pianist Jiyong and cellist Michael Nicolas will hold the concert on Sept. 4 at the S

Aug. 26, 2011

Pop Music

“Why We Fail”: Singer-songwriter Lee Sung-yol will hold a month of concerts to mark the release of his third album “Why We Fail.” His latest album was released after a four year hiatus, and it is the first time that he has held a month of concerts, his agency said. The stage will be in the center so

Aug. 26, 2011

Festivals

“Seoul Drum Festival”: An open festival will be held from Sept. 3 to Sept. 24 at the Seoul Square in central Seoul, for people to enjoy the beat of drums. Festival highlights include opening and closing ceremonies, performances by foreign performance teams, world percussion instrument performances,

Aug. 26, 2011