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

Performance July 21, 2022

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

Performance July 19, 2022

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

Performance July 13, 2022

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

Performance July 13, 2022

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

Performance July 12, 2022

  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

Performance July 12, 2022

Justin John Harvey, who made his big screen debut in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One,” directed by hit maker Park Hoon-jung, is determined to succeed. In fact, the 31-year-old actor said his will to succeed comes from his love of cinema and acting, making him singularly motivated. Although his fellow actors may also covet success, he believes that few can compare when it comes to his dedication to developing his Korean skills in the hopes of becoming a headlining actor, Harvey

Film July 11, 2022

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

Performance July 11, 2022

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

Performance July 6, 2022

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

Performance July 5, 2022

Park Bo-gyoon, the new minister of culture, tourism and sports, said BTS‘s military service depends on public opinion and Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, could be turned into a cultural complex. Park, who came into office 50 days ago, met with reporters for the first time and shared his position on current issues such as a possible military exemption for K-pop stars and Cheong Wa Dae’s future. 　 Calling military service a solemn obligation, he acknowledged BTS&lsquo

Culture July 4, 2022

Kim Dae-jin, 58, took the reins of the Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, only 10 months ago, but his history with the school goes back to 1994, when he became a professor two years after the school opened. K-Arts, the country’s top arts school, was founded in 1992 with a mission to provide high-quality education so that students would not have to go abroad seeking great teachers and top-class training. Fast forward to 2022, the school is seeing the fruits of its labor

Performance July 4, 2022

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The 19th edition of Music in Pyeongchang, an orchestral event in Gangwon Province, finally kicked off Saturday with an opening concert that mixes modern and classical music pieces. The first half of the opening concert began with Frederic Rzewski’s “To The Earth,” performed by percussionist Matthew Ernster. The percussion session that accompanied a poem recitation was followed by George Crumb’s “Voice of the Whale” for Th

Performance July 3, 2022

  Less than two weeks after becoming the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Lim Yun-chan stood before South Korean press Thursday and said he sees little change in his musical life. “Nothing has changed since I won the competition. My piano skills haven’t improved overnight just because I won. I will continue making more effort,” Lim, 18, told reporters at a press conference held on the Seocho Campus of the Korea National University of

Performance June 30, 2022

Beautiful Mind, a cultural and diplomatic charity organization, and audio equipment brand KEF last week signed an agreement to promote culture and arts for people with disabilities. The agreement covers cooperation in music education for children with disabilities and adolescents from low-income families as well as their orchestra activities, Beautiful Mind said in a statement. The agreement includes KEF’s sponsorship of wireless hi-fi speakers and wireless earphones to Beautiful Mind.

Performance June 29, 2022