Most Popular
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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Musical ‘Dracula’ set for opening after COVID-19 hit
Musical “Dracula” has postponed its opening by two days, following a string of infections involving four of its cast members. Actor Son Jun-ho, who performs in the musical, was confirmed with the virus infection on April 23, followed by more infections among its main cast members such as Shin Sung-rok, Jeon Dong-seok and Kang Tae-eul. “To put on a performance of better quality, the opening date of the musical ‘Dracula’ has been postponed from May 18 to May 20,&r
May 13, 2021
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Finnish conductor takes helm of KBS Symphony Orchestra
The KBS Symphony Orchestra has appointed Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as its chief conductor and music director. The orchestra announced Tuesday that the Finnish conductor, 41, would fill the post. It had remained empty for two years, since conductor Yoel Levi left in 2019. The new conductor will begin in January and is set to stay until the end of 2024. Inkinen, who is also a violinist, studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is currently the chief conductor of the
May 12, 2021
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S. Korean dance company teams up with Coldplay for Brit Awards performance
The South Korean dance group Ambiguous Dance Company has made a surprise appearance during British rock band Coldplay's latest performance at the Brit Awards. The dance company, known for its unique choreography and playful vibe, performed alongside Coldplay in its performance of its new single "Higher Power" during the music awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday (local time). Six members of the dance group appeared as neon-colored holograms as the British rock band sang the gala
May 12, 2021
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‘Les Miserables’ concert mired in copyright feud
The “Les Miserables” concert by K&P Entertainment, slated to take place this month in Seoul and Busan, has become mired in a copyright dispute. On Monday, Les Miserables Korea, which holds performance rights to the Korean-language version of the English musical in Korea, claimed that the upcoming concert is an unauthorized production that violates the musical’s copyrights. K&P Entertainment on Tuesday refuted the claim, saying that the upcoming concert is based on
May 11, 2021
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Coldplay, Ambiguous Dance Company make buzz with ‘Higher Power’
Ambiguous Dance Company, which rose to stardom with its 600-million-view YouTube hit video “Tiger is Coming” with alternative pop band Leenalchi, has joined hands with celebrated rock band Coldplay for its new single. The British rock band, led by lead singer and frontman Chris Martin, released its new single “Higher Power” Friday. In a performance video of the single shared on YouTube, Ambiguous Dance Company dancers appear as hologram dancers, dressed in eccentric co
May 10, 2021
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Gugak center shares sound source featuring master singers
The National Gugak Center has released some 2,800 sound sources of traditional Korean music sung by celebrated master singers online for free. Over the past year, the state-funded center dedicated to traditional Korean music has been working on developing sound sources of traditional Korean music on its Musical Instrument Digital Interface platform, also known as MIDI. In September, the NGC released 407 sound sources of notes performed on traditional Korean instruments, along with 2,226 soun
May 10, 2021
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Musical ‘Midnight Sun’ to be screened live at cinemas across Asia
A local production of the musical “Midnight Sun” will be screened live at cinemas in five Asian countries, including Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. According to the production company Shinswave on Friday, it is the first time a local musical will be screened live in cinemas abroad. On Friday, the performance will be screened at 29 CGV branches in Korea, 15 cinemas in Indonesia, three in Hong Kong, four in Taiwan and two in Singapore. On Sunday, 20 cinemas in
May 7, 2021
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15 Korean pianists compete at Queen Elisabeth Competition
A total of 15 Korean pianists are competing in the first round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious international musical competition held in Brussels, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Known as one of the most challenging competitions for instrumentalists, the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s piano section will see 58 pianists -- nine women and 49 men -- from 16 countries vying for the top spot. At 15, Koreans account for 26 percent of the contestants. The
May 5, 2021
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Musicals brace for disruptions with new COVID-19 infections
Hit by a series of COVID-19 infections, the musical scene is bracing for perhaps another virus crisis, following earlier shutdowns in March and August last year. Four cast members of the musical “Dracula,” set to run from mid-May, have confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus, sounding an alarm for musical productions. Musical actors Shin Sung-rok who plays Dracula, Kang Tae-eul and Jeon Dong-seok playing the role of Van Helsing in the musical have tested posit
April 29, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Soprano Im Sun-hae still thirsts for the stage
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, last year was still a major milestone for soprano Im Sun-hae who celebrated her two decadelong career. Since making her debut with conductor Philippe Herreweghe in Antwerp, Belgium in 1999, Im, 45, has been leading a singing career around the globe for more than 20 years. “Who knew this would happen? I had not known that I would debut in Europe, sing for more than 20 years,” Im said during a recent interview with The Korea
April 28, 2021
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Global music streaming giants target Korea with tailor-made lists
The two biggest music streamers Spotify and Apple Music are attempting to penetrate the Korean market with unique playlists and music charts. Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, announced the launch of “Jazzy Korea,” a new playlist curated to introduce a wide range of rising Korean jazz artists and tracks to celebrate the upcoming International Jazz Day on April 30. The new playlist containing 30 tracks by 30 Korean jazz artists was launc
April 27, 2021
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Maestro Chung Myung-whun reflects on life with new album of piano music
Maestro Chung Myung-whun is returning to the stage as a pianist with the release of his second piano album Thursday. Chung will be on a recital tour of five cities -- Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju and Daegu -- this month, the first time he is going on a recital tour in seven years. The recitals will focus on late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms. In addition to Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 60, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 and Brahms’ 4 Piano P
April 24, 2021
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COVID-19 hits the musical industry
With the daily number of new COVID-19 cases almost reaching 800, the musical industry is on high alert as actor Son Jun-ho who is to appear in the musical “Dracula” next month tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. “Son Jun-ho wasn’t feeling well recently, so he voluntarily tested for COVID-19. He tested positive and went into self-quarantine,” Son’s agency Sidus HQ said. “All staff who came in contact with Son have been or will be tested.&rdq
April 23, 2021
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Chamber music to celebrate Beethoven’s belated birthday
The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music will sing “Ode to Joy” to celebrate a belated 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, after the program was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spring festival last year was pushed back to the fall where they presented a non-Beethoven repertoire, as well as to observe the required social distancing measures. “This year, we will do what we could not do last year,” Kang Dong-suk, violinist and artistic
April 20, 2021
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Daniel Barenboim cancels recital, citing quarantine rules
In the pandemic era, the mandatory two-week quarantine remains a great obstacle for the performing arts scene. Acclaimed conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim was slated to hold a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on May 19 to mark the release of his Deutsche Grammophon Beethoven piano sonata album. It was to have been his first piano recital in South Korea. But production agency Inarts Production announced Friday that the recital was canceled as Barenboim was not granted exemption from the
April 19, 2021
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Weverse expands further with addition of Jeremy Zucker
Rising pop star Jeremy Zucker became the fourth foreign label artist to join Weverse, the fan community platform run by Hybe, on Monday. Zucker gained worldwide fame in 2018 with his song “comethru.” Thereafter, acoustic melodies and honest lyrics in his collaborations with American singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler that included “You were Good to Me,” “All the Kids are Depressed,” “Always, I’ll Care,“ among others, helped him build up a sol
April 19, 2021
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Pianist Cho Seong-jin collaborates with German baritone on new album
Pianist Cho Seong-jin released a new album “Im Abendrot” -- meaning “at sunset” -- on Friday with German baritone Matthias Goerne, according to Universal Music‘s classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. The new album contains songs composed by three German composers of the Romantic era --Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869-1949), and Richard Strauss (1864-1949). “It’s almost impossible to describe the experience of explor
April 16, 2021
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Avignon Festival to screen in Seoul
The LG Arts Center is to hold the Avignon Festival Cinema event from April 28 to May 2, screening some works from the famed performing arts festival based in the southern city of France. The festival, featuring innovative and experimental performing arts shows, garners some 500,000 attendees every summer. It is a prestigious performing arts event, considered alongside the Edinburgh Festival. The center will screen four signature pieces presented at the Avignon Festival, along with a work r
April 14, 2021
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Osmo Vanska’s 2021 SPO season to begin with Sibelius
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director, Osmo Vanska, will deliver his first performance of the 2021 season Thursday and Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul. At this week’s performances, the orchestra will present Bartok’s “Dance Suite,” Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39, and Eotvos’ “Speaking Drums” for percussion solo and orchestra, featuring percussionist Bak Hye-ji, under the baton of Vanska. After p
April 13, 2021
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‘DG violinist’ Kim Bomsori to hold solo recital in Korea
Violinist Kim Bomsori will go onstage in Korea in June to celebrate the upcoming release of her solo debut album under the classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. The recital on June 26 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul will be Kim’s first solo recital in the country in two years. In November, Kim became the third Korean artist to sign with Deutsche Grammophon, following pianist Cho Seung-jin and soprano Park Hye-sang. Her solo DG debut album “Violin on Stage” w
April 7, 2021