“Star” dancers of Paris Opera to perform in Seoul

A group of star dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet, including Korean dancer Park Sae-eun, will take the stage on Thursday and Friday at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, reviving the historic company’s classic and modern repertoires in a gala show. 　 The occasion will mark Park’s first performance in Korea as an étoile, or star, of the Paris Opera Ballet. The 33-year-old ballerina was named étoile last year, becoming the first Asian to hold the coveted title in the 353-y

July 26, 2022

[Herald Review] Big names light up stage at ‘Blue Spring Hip-hop Festa’

As large-scale concerts are coming back with the slow lifting of pandemic and social distancing rules across the nation, an abundant number of concertgoers filled the Jangchung Arena in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday night as big-name R&B and hip-hop artists took the stage for “Blue Spring Hip-hop Festa.” The concert is an offshoot of the Blue Spring Festival, one of the country‘s biggest music festivals, which takes place in a different city each year. The first session took p

July 25, 2022

Musical “Mrs. Doubtfire” to hit local theater

Musical “Mrs. Doubtfire,” based on the 1993 hit movie with the same title, will hit local theaters as the first licensed production of the Broadway show, according to its production companies, Sem Company and Studio Sunday. The Korea production will feature three actors for Daniel Hillard - versatile singer Im Chang-jung, comedian-turned actor Jung Sung-hwa and musical actor Yang Joon-mo. The plot unfolds around Daniel Hillard, a struggling, out-of-work voice actor, who is also a

July 22, 2022

Quad, Seoul’s public theater opens

The Quad, a public theater operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, opened in Daehagno on Wednesday, with a goal to revive the local arts scene hit by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and gentrification of the theater district. The Quad is a transformative black box theater that can accommodate as many as 258 seats and offer several types of stage settings, according to the SFAC, a Seoul-city funded nonprofit organization. It sits on the site of the former Dongsoong Art Center, w

July 21, 2022

Back on stage, actor Kim Seon-ho apologizes for rumors involving ex-girlfriend

Actor Kim Seon-ho on Wednesday publicly apologized over controversies involving his former girlfriend while making his first public appearance in about nine months. “I’m deeply sorry for bad news that has caused concerns to many people. I’ve looked back on my past times and reflected on my conduct,” he said while sobbing during a press conference for the play “Touching the Void.” “Many people have made efforts for this play since the spring. I’m

July 20, 2022

Chung Myung-whun returns as pianist with chamber music ensemble

Conductor Chung Myung-whun will return to the stage as a pianist with a chamber music ensemble as part of a nationwide tour this fall. He will be joined by four other musicians: Violinist Kim Su-yoen, a concertmaster at Konzerthausorchester Berlin; violist Kim Sara, who joined the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as a principal viola from the 2019-20 season, cellist Song Young-hoon and double bassist Sung Min-je. Kim Su-yoen, Song and Sung have previously performed with Chung on the stage. The pi

July 19, 2022

[Herald Interview] Rising conductor Kim Eun Sun to make Korean debut

Conductor Kim Eun Sun started her role as music director of the San Francisco Opera last August, becoming the first woman ever to lead the opera company, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. The descriptors first female and sometimes first Asian also follow as she makes history throughout her career. Those labels don’t register while she’s in rehearsals and concerts, she said. But it is when she’s outside those rehearsal rooms and concert halls that she real

July 19, 2022

[Unveil] Choreographer Hyojin Choi on life before and after ‘Street Woman Fighter’

The 2021 TV competition “Street Woman Fighter” has changed the scene for dancers. The show put dancers, who usually played a support role on the stage, in the spotlight and gave them their own fan bases. Hyojin Choi said she could feel the change after her time on the popular show. “I’ve been dancing since I was a student, and at that time, everyone from my school teachers to my family had this image about dancing: ‘How is that going to make a living?’ &ls

July 18, 2022

Yearning for peace, music festival at DMZ to kick off July 24

A three-month music festival in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas is set to kick off July 24, the festival organizer said Wednesday. The Peace and Life Zone Festival this year will host about 20 performances and other events, beginning with an opening concert at Jejin Station located inside the civilian-controlled area within the DMZ, in Goseong, Gangwon Province, featuring the event’s artistic director and pianist Im Mi-jung, clarinetist Kim Han and the Seoul Virtuosi

July 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] Lim Hyang-hwa, 70, returns to stage 4 decades late

In the 1970s, a Korean woman with a college degree from a prestigious university would have a promising career in what she was passionate about. But it would be a brief career as she would typically quit upon getting married, thinking that’s what all other people did, and she would become a devoted wife, mom and daughter-in-law, just like most other women. Lim Hyang-hwa -- whose life followed a similar trajectory after she put aside her acting dreams for more than 40 years to take care

July 13, 2022

National Theater unveils 2022-2023 season program

From barrier-free shows to an orchestra conducted by a robot, the National Theater of Korea on Tuesday unveiled more than 60 productions, old and new, for the upcoming season. The National Repertory Season 2022-2023 consists of a total of 61 productions, including 26 premieres and 10 repertoires by national arts groups in theater, traditional drama, dance and orchestra. The new season, from Aug. 31 to June 30, 2023, kicks off with National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s “Rabbit&r

July 12, 2022

Pianist Cho Seong-jin to perform Chopin concertos outdoors

  Cho Seong-jin, one of South Korea’s most sought-after pianists, will perform the complete the Chopin Piano Concertos outdoors, his management Credia said Tuesday. The concert, which was originally scheduled for last year but had to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place at Yonsei University‘s Amphitheater at 7:30 pm on Aug. 31. Kremerata Baltica, a 25-year-old chamber orchestra consisting of musicians from Baltic countries founded by violinist Gideon Kr

July 12, 2022

Korean EDM fans cool off at Songkran Music Festival

Songkran Music Festival landed in Korea for the first time over the weekend, with heart-thumping music and about 1 million liters of water. S2O Korea took place at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday. Some 40,000 festivalgoers attended the two-day event to enjoy performances by top electronic dance artists while being sprayed with water. The daytime highs reached over 35 degrees Celsius over the weekend, but the festivalgoers came equipped -- wi

July 11, 2022

[Herald Review] Dance fever continues at ‘Street Woman Fighter’ reunion concert

After seeing phenomenal success with Mnet’s dance survival show “Street Woman Fighter,” female dance crews from the program returned over the weekend with more powerful and dynamic performances for a reunion show at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium at Seoul’s Olympic Park. The two-day event “Street Woman Fighter Reunion: The Next Era” was a treat for the audience and also a chance for the eight top-tier dance crews -- YGX, Lachica, Want, WayB, Coca N Butter

July 11, 2022

Gonjiam Music Festival, dedicated to flute, to return next week

Gonjiam Music Festival, an event to dedicated to flutes, is coming back on July 17 after two years of pandemic-related hiatus, its organizer said on Monday. From July 17 to 21, the festival offers two concerts and master classes in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, with participation of musicians from Europe, Japan and Korea. For a concert on July 17, themed cinema, Orchestra The Original conducted by Adriel Kim will perform a familiar repertoire that an audience of all ages can enjoy including

July 11, 2022

Gaon Chart aims to become global K-pop chart with new name

South Korean music sales tracker Gaon Chart has debuted a new name with an aim to provide the most accurate and diverse K-pop data for fans all around the world. The Korea Music Content Association, which operates the Gaon chart, held a proclamation ceremony in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, Thursday, during which it layed out a road map for its renewed K-pop chart, as well as unveiling the brand new name for the chart -- Circle Chart. Gaon Chart, founded in 2010, has operated as the country‘

July 7, 2022

Legendary rock band Songolmae to take time-slip adventure at reunion concert tour

Iconic South Korean rock band Songolmae is ready to start a time-slip adventure to the 1980s by embarking on a nationwide tour with the long-awaited reunion of Bae Cheol-soo and Koo Chang-mo. At a press conference to introduce Songolmae’s upcoming concert series, titled “Songolmae Live Tour 2022” in Hapjeong, Seoul, on Wednesday, the two best-known members of Songolmae shared their excitement for the upcoming rock ‘n’ roll event. “We will perform as if we a

July 6, 2022

Maroon 5 removes Rising Sun Flag on homepage amid controversy

American pop-rock band Maroon 5 removed the design of Japan's imperial-era flag from the band's official website Wednesday after the use of the image angered South Korean music fans ahead of its world tour that includes stops in Asian countries. According to sources in the music scene, the band deleted the image of the Rising Sun Flag from the website Wednesday morning, replacing it with an image of the band. Maroon 5 used the design in the background of a post released Saturday to ann

July 6, 2022

[Herald Interview] Son Yeol-eum: The shy girl from Gangwon to acclaimed pianist

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon -- As a child, Son Yeol-eum, the virtuoso pianist hailing from Wonju, a city in the scenic Gangwon Province, was very shy. So shy that she would choose to walk down small alleys rather than large streets. As the spotlight on her grew, as did the pressure of being a promising pianist, she was reluctant to embrace fame. She remembers asking her mom why they couldn’t be mutually exclusive -- playing the instrument she loved without all of the extra attention. Fast forwar

July 6, 2022

Montreal Symphony Orchestra to present passionate repertoire

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra will present a “passionate repertoire” during its visit to South Korea this week, the orchestra’s new conductor and musical director Rafael Payare said Tuesday.　 The orchestra’s first overseas tour under the direction of the 42-year-old Venezuelan conductor consists of four concerts: Tuesday’s concert with South Korean concert pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, the winner of the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at Lotte Conce

July 5, 2022