Queen, Adam Lambert join Super Sonic lineup

Brian May and Roger Taylor of the legendary English rock band Queen ― behind all-time classic hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” ― will be making their way to Korea this summer as part of the Super Sonic 2014 festival first lineup. Popular “American Idol” eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert will be joining the iconic rock stars on stage, taking the mic as Queen’s honorary leading vocalist, which he has done on and off over the past few years.  May an

April 3, 2014

McCartney to hold concert in Seoul in May

Paul McCartney, a former member of the legendary British band The Beatles, will hold his first-ever concert in South Korea next month, organizers said Thursday.The show is part of his “Out There” world tour that began in Brazil last year and has taken him to 23 big cities around the world. During the Seoul concert, scheduled for May 28 at Seoul’s Jamsil Stadium, McCartney will perform tracks on “New,” his new album released last year as well as songs from his career with The Beatles and as a sol

April 3, 2014

Men with heavenly voices

If music aficionados in Korea were starting to get a little bored with the local classical music scene dominated by orchestras and players of major solo instruments, April brings a rare treat. Two men with heavenly voices are coming to Korea for solo recitals: countertenor Philippe Jaroussky on April 30 and Lieder singer Ian Bostridge on April 19. Frenchman Jaroussky is an unusual star in the world of countertenors, grown men who sing soprano or mezzo-soprano and perform roles that were original

April 2, 2014

Delivering voices of Iranian women

Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat has lived most of her life outside of her home country. She left Iran to study in the U.S. at age 17 in 1974 but hasn’t gone back for nearly 16 years. On her last visit in 1999, she was detained and interrogated by Iranian officials who mistook her for a political dissident. Outside her native country, Neshat has gained an international reputation as an Iranian artist. Her inspiring TED talk on her life as an Iranian woman and artist in exile drew more than 480,

April 2, 2014

BuzzFeed picks 2NE1 on list of top girl groups

South Korean girl group 2NE1 has been chosen by U.S. media website BuzzFeed as one of “11 girl groups from around the world to love right now.” According to an article posted on the popular website Monday, 2NE1 is riffing on the format all over the world, along with British “X-Factor” champs Little Mix. The article further mentioned that the four members ― CL, Park Bom, Dara and Minzy ― are amazing dancers who create wild, over-the-top videos and that each have a distinct personality.The band’s

April 2, 2014

Composer named artistic director of gugak troupe

Ryu Hyeong-sun, a prominent gugak composer and producer, has become artistic director of the state-owned Creative Music Troupe. Handpicked by Kim Hae-sook, chief of the National Gugak Center, Ryu took office Tuesday for a two-year term. “I will seek out new possibilities by putting on stage performances that are new and of high quality yet based on traditions,” the 48-year-old composer said.  The creative music troupe started a decade ago under the auspice of the NGC. It has been trying to add m

April 2, 2014

New Michael Jackson songs set for release

PARIS (AFP) ― Five years after the death of the “King of Pop,” a posthumous Michael Jackson album due in May is set to thrill fans with eight previously unreleased songs, Epic Records announced on Monday. The album, due for release on May 13, has been named “XSCAPE,” which is also one of the new tracks mined from Jackson’s archives. After gaining access to four decades of the late singer’s material, Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony, chose eight songs that featured completed vocal tracks by Jac

April 1, 2014

Finnish choreographer teams up with traditional Korean dancers

Since its establishment in 1962, the National Dance Company of Korea has been focusing on Korean traditional dance.The troupe is making a meaningful step this month by collaborating with a non-Korean choreographer for the first time since its inception. Their latest work, “Vortex” ― slated to be staged on April 16 ― is choreographed by Finnish artist Tero Saarinen. “One of the main reasons behind this project is to give more opportunities for our dancers, who are the best in the country, to prep

March 31, 2014

‘Angels’ organ’ makes heavenly comeback

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Only a handful of professional musicians can play it, but a rare instrument banned in the 19th century is making a comeback, and even seducing a new generation of rock and electro stars.The glass armonica, invented by U.S. founding father Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, was blamed for driving musicians crazy, and is not taught in any of the world’s top conservatories.“There are five or six of us who play it, for our own pleasure. It’s a very small community,” said Fren

March 30, 2014

Eyelike: Lee Sun-hee makes strong return with 'Serendipity'

Lee Sun-hee makes strong return with “Serendipity” Lee Sun-hee'Serendipity'(LOEN Entertainment)Lee Sun-hee, one of South Korea’s iconic veteran singer-songwriters, has released her 15th studio album in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her debut.The 11-track album titled “Serendipity” features Lee’s mature and distinct vocals which have raised her to the peerage of local ballad legends since her debut in 1984. The album covers diverse genres from pop, rock, orchestral and acoustic to gypsy

March 28, 2014

Korean Air wins copyright suit

The Seoul Central District Court ruled on Thursday that the photo Korean Air used for its TV commercial did not infringe on American photographer Michael Kenna’s copyright of the well-known photograph “Pine Trees.” The court admitted similarities but dismissed Kenna’s copyright claim. “Kenna’s photo and the carrier’s commercial photo look similar to each other because both depict the same pine tree island and its reflection on the water, featuring the same natural elements of water, sky and tree

March 28, 2014

SM defends property deal

The nation’s largest entertainment agency, SM Entertainment, has officially denied allegations that company CEO Lee Soo-man illegally acquired a lavish mansion in Malibu, California, through a joint purchase with a “paper company” in Hong Kong.KBS 1TV’s “News9” on Tuesday reported that the CEO had purchased the mansion in L.A. County for $4.8 million, which surpasses $3 million, the most that an individual could invest in overseas real state at the time. The report claimed that Lee evaded such r

March 28, 2014

A season for symphonies

In Korea, spring is high season for orchestras. Around this time of the year for the past 25 years, about 20 orchestras from all over the country have traveled to Seoul to participate in a nearly three-week relay concert, celebrating blossoming flowers with great symphonic works by Brahms, Beethoven and many others. “Orchestra Festival,” in its 26th year now, will open on April 1 at Seoul Arts Center. “This year, a total of 18 orchestras will be performing. They are selected by our advisors, who

March 27, 2014

Eminem, Outkast top Lollapalooza festival lineup

CHICAGO (AP) ― Eminem and Outkast will headline a diverse lineup of more than 130 acts at this year’s three-day Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, Jane’s Addiction lead singer and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell announced Wednesday. The lineup also includes recent Grammy darling Lorde, rockers Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys and electronic dance music stars Calvin Harris and Skrillex.  “Every year you’re shooting to have just an incredible bill that people will look at and say, ‘I’m the

March 27, 2014

[Uniquely Korean] K-pop trainees’ hard-knock life

It is certainly no secret in Korea that the training process to debut as a K-pop star is no quick or simple venture. Often referred to as music “boot camp,” K-pop training among some of the nation’s biggest talent agencies is intense, to say the least. And with only a fraction of trainees able to become K-pop stars, the atmosphere among trainees can be fiercely competitive and cutthroat. Although other nations’ talent agencies play a role in “grooming” acts to make it big in the entertainment in

March 26, 2014

Curators gather famed signatures from U.S. archives

WASHINGTON (AP) ― An eclectic mix of some of the most cherished autographs in history ― including those of George Washington and Michael Jackson ― are on display to showcase what curators say is the dying art of the signature. The “Marking the Mark” exhibit, which opened Friday at the National Archives, includes more than 100 original signatures by the famous and infamous and is the result of a wide search by curators for signatures representing important names and events in history.  The exhibi

March 26, 2014

Paper airplanes, interactive fun mark Travis’ return to Seoul

Internationally famous British alt-rock band Travis returned to Seoul an old friend, kicking off a lively concert Tuesday night.“Hi everyone, it’s been a long time since we’ve been here,” said Fran Healy, the vocalist and leader, opening up the show. “And we’ve never forgotten you!” he shouted.Travis, considered a forefather of modern British pop-rock, is currently on its Asia tour for its recent album “Where You Stand,” which topped the U.K. album charts last year. Composed of vocalist and guit

March 26, 2014

Composer Schwartz talks ‘Wicked’ politics

While the popular musical “Wicked” is largely promoted in Korea as a fairy tale-like story about two witches, its composer Stephen Schwartz put the show’s political interpretation in the spotlight during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “The other day in America, somebody died recently,” he told reporters. “His name is Fred Phelps. He was a very angry person who used to organize pickets at funerals. And he caused a lot of trouble. When he died, someone wrote an article for one of our major

March 25, 2014

Vocal maestro Jang Sa-ik to perform in New York

Jang Sa-ik, Korea’s vocal maestro, will return to New York next month to present once again the unique world of his music that blends traditional Korean harmonies and rhythms with modern jazz, pop and blues. This time, he will perform with four of his longtime colleagues with whom he just “loves to have fun.” “For me, the ultimate fun has to involve some dancing. After all, don’t we all sing and dance when we’re happy?” Jang said at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. “So, it’s going to be m

March 25, 2014