With the country moving further away from the pandemic, the Korean Culture and Information Service is going full steam ahead in its endeavor to catapult Korean culture this year further around the world. Kim Jang-ho, the head of the agency, is a veteran government official who joined the Culture Ministry in the mid-1990s when the government body realized the importance of culture and art as an i...

“Xcalibur,” a musical by the Korean musical company EMK, will be made into a Japanese version by the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe. The Japanese production will take to the stage from July 23 to Aug. 5 at Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall. The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female theater troupe founded in 1913 to attract tourists to Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Daiichi Inaba wil...

Currently in Seoul, eight time zones from where Ludwig van Beethoven was born and died, two musicals inspired by the musician are taking place. With the exception of the source of inspiration, the two productions are like chalk and cheese. “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano” is a small-scale production in the off-off Broadway style, while “Beethoven: The Secret” is an extravagant production that takes...

This is the first in the "Rising Virtuosos" series introducing the next generation of talented and accomplished classical musicians of Korea. The series will give readers an intimate look at the exceptional artistry and passion of young musicians who are making their mark on the international classical music scene. --Ed. Now the year ahead will be one for getting used to a new environment and hi...

Discover beauty beyond folding screens Koreans often ask, “Why are you standing like a folding screen?” when observing friends standing unexpectedly idle or motionless. Folding screens, or "byeongpung" in Korean, are most frequently used as backdrops and are rarely the center of attention. In modern times, people are most likely to associate these screens with memorial rites for their ancestors...

Music in Pyeongchang, an annual music festival held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, has appointed cellist Yang Sung-won as its fourth artistic director, festival organizer Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation announced Thursday. Yang will lead the 20th edition of the music festival, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 5. Yang, a cello soloist and chamber musician who performs worldwide, ...

K-Musicals Shin, who is also the chairman of the Korean Association of Musical Producers (KAMP), believes that the COVID-19 pandemic presented something of an unexpected denouement for the industry. Behind spectacular growth in the past two decades, a vulnerable foundation was revealed, he said. The situation in Korea was better than Broadway or the West End in London, where theaters shut down e...

Last year’s ticket sales for Korea’s performing arts scene not only returned to pre-pandemic levels but jumped 43 percent from 2019, according to data released by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System Wednesday. The combined revenue of 14,447 musicals, theatrical plays, classical concerts and other performances came to 55.90 billion won ($45 million) in 2022, up 43 percent from...

It comes as no surprise that many readers confess the characters in the book sound very familiar. The author works at a major conglomerate and said he wrote the characters based on colleagues, as well as himself. The last book in the series follows a general manager surnamed Song, who had already secured “financial freedom” by investing in land in his 20s. The character is more than 95 percent b...

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will make a concrete transformation this year through a new season that showcases its own productions, Ahn Ho-sang, the CEO of the institution, said Tuesday. “While we focused on bringing the best artists -- who I can guarantee as the best in their respective fields, to Sejong Center last year -- this year we’ll focus on providing more quality original w...

Kim Han, the Korean clarinetist who shone a spotlight on the instrument, will join the Paris Opera Orchestra as the principal clarinet this year, according to his management company Credia on Tuesday. Kim secured the position after passing an audition in January. Born in 1996, Kim debuted through the Kumho Prodigy Concert at the age of 11. He studied at Eton College and Guildhall School of Musi...

As it did for everyone else, the pandemic affected violinist Esther Yoo in ways that she could have never imagined. The US-born musician did not forsee staying in South Korea for so long or anticipate what that would entail. Roughly two years in Korea and a time off from her routine of constant traveling and performing changed her “dramatically” and it turned out to be a much-needed time for her...

With production companies and audiences moving past the pandemic, musicals are returning en masse. "West Side Story," the 65-year-old Stephen Sondheim-Leonard Bernstein romp, the Asian premiere of "Moulin Rouge!" and more Sondheim in the dark tale of London's murderous barber, "Sweeney Todd" are among those warming up the cold winter season. There was a time when someone who had watched a music...

Korean classical pianist Lim Dong-hyek is bringing an all-Chopin program in February. This recital is to celebrate Lim’s first LP version released with Warner Music International and is also the first all-Chopin recital in seven years since 2016. Last year, marking the 20th anniversary of his debut, the pianist focused on Schubert for his recital. Under the title of “Regarding Chopin,” Lim wil...