Led by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Michael League, fusion instrumental band Snarky Puppy is holding its first concert in Korea on Tuesday night at the Blue Square theater in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The large-scale band was started by League more than 10 years ago while he was attending jazz school at the University of North Texas. Gathering together nine of his pals, the band was initially launched as an opportunity for the budding composer to play out the jazzy hybrid funk music that

PerformanceOct. 20, 2014

Models, designers, fashionistas and celebrities descended on the newly opened Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park to take note of Korea’s hottest fashion trends for the upcoming 2015 spring-summer season, as the six-day extravaganza of runway shows kicked off Friday.Seoul Fashion Week, a biannual fashion festival in its 15th year, opened to a large crowd from home and abroad with menswear collections on Friday and Saturday. Both top and up-and-coming Korean designers are presenting 85 fashion shows

Arts & DesignOct. 19, 2014

Seo Taiji, one of the country’s most influential musical figures and ’90s icons, finally made his long-awaited return to the music scene with his extravagant live production of “Christmalowin,” the singer’s first concert performance in five years.  A view of the lavish stage for Seo Taiji’s “Christmalowin” solo comeback concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex’s Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. (Seo Taiji Co.)In commemoration of his upcoming ninth full-length album, “Quiet Night,” Seo’s comeba

Oct. 19, 2014

Choi Soon-dalChoi Soon-dal, a pioneer in South Korea’s satellite-building program who contributed greatly to technological development in this field, died of old age late Saturday. He was 83. The scientist, who was an honorary professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University and went to the United States to get his master’s at the University of California, Berkeley and his doctorate in electri

PeopleOct. 19, 2014

When the different notes and timbres of as many as 100 instruments combine into a glorious harmony, it is not only those in the audience who feel moved. The musicians and the conductor too feel overwhelmed with the sense of belonging and pride, as well as the spiritual richness of the classical music. This is what the people interviewed by The Korea Herald all said when asked what was it about playing in orchestras that they loved so much. “I have been running my own business. Looking back at al

CultureOct. 17, 2014

Nearly four decades ago, Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreu gathered 11 impoverished children in a parking garage in Caracas and started teaching them classical music.His notion was simple: free music education can lift the children out of poverty and crime, which in turn could tackle social problems plaguing the country.The initiative ― “El Sistema” or the System ― became hugely successful, so far affecting nearly 2.5 million youngsters mostly from low-income backgrounds and p

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

The marching band of the historical Kyungbock High School in Seoul, founded in 1921, was disbanded in 1979 after a complaint was filed that the trumpet sound coming from the window might be a disturbance for the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, a few meters from the school. “It was the time when the U.S. President Jimmy Carter was visiting. It was a historical visit,” recalled Kim Hak-myung, 59, one of the former band members. The school reacted to the anonymous complaint by dissolving the

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

If one is asked to picture a classical music conductor, it is safe to say that more often than not, the image which immediately springs to mind is that of an older male in a freshly pressed black-and-white tuxedo gently waving a baton.However, thrashing past these outdated stereotypes is 38-year-old maestro Sung Shi-yeon, who is making waves in the classical music world as a notable upcoming, young female conductor.Although her career has only just taken off, Sung has already received a number o

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

As the principal timpanist of the Seoul Philharmonic, Adrien Perruchon stands in the back row, yet provides the orchestra’s heartbeat. The large drums’ deep resonance and gratifying boom plays an essential role in any orchestra. Beethoven loved timpanis for their rich sound and harmonic potential. Asked what attracted the 31-year-old musician to the instrument, he smiled. “You get to play with the orchestra, quite opposite from playing a piano,” he said. “Although the timpani can be played solo

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

Kim Young-jun was a star stock manager in the 1980s and 1990s when the Korean economy was on the rise, registering strong growth. He gave financial advice on TV and radio, and also wrote two books on stock investments. “I was a celebrity in finance,” said Kim. His advice proved worth heeding most of the time. The rule was, he said, invest when others don’t. Then, suddenly, he realized that all his life was built around the hollow world of the stock market. “I felt like I was a robot chasing mone

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

FestivalTen Million Chrysanthemum Festival: Iksan, North Jeolla Province, invites visitors to one of the biggest chrysanthemum festivals in Korea. At the festival, arrangements of more than 120,000 flowers will be exhibited in a 35,000-square-meter garden in Iksan Central Park and Iksan Jewelry Museum from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. Crafts and culinary programs will offer a chance to make bracelets and paper crafts and to cook pancakes and cookies using chrysanthemums. For more information, call (063) 8

CultureOct. 17, 2014

Coming on like a fresh breeze amid the hot air that so often accompanies talk about race, “Dear White People” is both a conversation piece and a calling card, announcing writer-director Justin Simien, in his feature debut, as an invigorating voice, someone original from a new generation.From the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, to the media dust-up over an essay on television in the New York Times, the broad subject represents a minefield no matter the arena. The playfully incendiary satire

FilmOct. 17, 2014

Blake Shelton the adult shines on new LPBlake Shelton“Bringing Back The Sunshine”(Warner Nashville)Blake Shelton’s public persona -- a mix of smart-aleck whimsy and thoughtful sensitivity -- has made him country music’s most ubiquitous male star. A full-grown man with a boyish cheekiness, his easy likability has made him a consummate award-show host, a high-profile judge on “The Voice” and a constant presence in ads across print, the Web and TV. His recent albums draw on both sides of this perso

PerformanceOct. 17, 2014

The Golden Era (China)Opened Oct. 16Drama. Directed by Ann HuiThe Chinese-Hong Kong film, “The Golden Era,” is a biopic of legendary Chinese writer Xiao Hong (Tang Wei), who lived through political turmoil in modern China from 1911 to 1942. Before the writer died at the young age of 32, she published many short stories and essays including “The Bridge” in 1933 and “Tales of Hulan River” in 1944. The film, which was screened during this year’s Busan International Film Festival, focuses not only o

FilmOct. 17, 2014

As the weather turns colder and the leaves fall, many of us begin to plan our spring holidays and think of the days when everything will be bright and blooming again. If the thoughts of adventure, nature, a unique culture and history, good food and warm people make you want to book a trip ― why not think Wales? A tiny country surrounded by its better-known neighbors, England, Scotland and Ireland, Wales is a part of the United Kingdom but has a heritage and language all its own. Fear not, non-We

TravelOct. 17, 2014

BENTON, Pennsylvania ― Fresh air and blue skies are easy tonics for the stressed-out city life. Still, I was in a pretty foul mood when I rolled into Ricketts Glen State Park in this scenic, woodsy corner of northeastern Pennsylvania.Equally distracted by my growling stomach and the country tunes wailing on my car radio, I’d missed the rustic carved-wood entrance sign opposite Red Rock Scoops ice cream shop on Route 118. Google Maps had vaporized along with my cellphone service and, seriously, w

TravelOct. 17, 2014