Lavinia Meijer is one of the world’s top harpists. In her home country of the Netherlands, she is a cultural icon who has brought harp, an instrument rarely played solo, to the forefront of its classical music scene. And she is a Korean adoptee.Currently in Seoul for her fourth performance in the country, she said getting to grips with her biological roots has had a lasting impact on her music.“(Coming to Korea) is always special for me,” the 31-year-old harpist said at the Sony Music office in

Feb. 13, 2014

Both the total sales value and prices of Korean art fell last year despite an increased number of works sold, according to a report on the local arts market by economics professor Choi Jeong-pyo of Konkuk University this week.Seoul Auction, which accounts for half of all auction sales in the country, sold 1,888 pieces for about 39 billion won ($36 million) in 2013. The amount was down 2.6 percent from 2012.K Auction, which takes up 28 percent of the market, auctioned off 1,258 works for 18.8 bil

Feb. 13, 2014

Attention, Beethoven fans! Some of the world’s most highly acclaimed musicians are coming to Korea this month for three all-Beethoven sonata concerts in Seoul. Scheduled for Feb. 17, 20 and 21 at Seoul Arts Center, the three concerts are a unique chance to indulge in the world of Ludwig van Beethoven through three different instruments ― the piano, violin and cello. Kicking off the Beethoven bash on Feb. 17 is Catherine Cho, a Korean-American violinist who teaches at the prestigious Juilliard Sc

Feb. 13, 2014

Six of the representative vocal powerhouses of SM Entertainment gathered on Wednesday night to perform an intimate recital show in front of 800 fans for the “SM The Ballad Vol.2 Joint Recital.” The special recital was held in commemoration of the agency’s second ballad album project, titled “Breath.” Under the theme of painful break-ups, this year’s ballad singles project features collaborative work by eight SM artists from Korea and China, including SHINee’s Jonghyun, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeo

Feb. 13, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Irish rock veterans U2 will play their Oscar-nominated song “Ordinary Love” from the movie “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” at this year’s Academy Awards, organizers announced Wednesday.The March 2 performance at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood will be the first time U2 has played the song live, said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of the 86th Academy Awards. The tune is among four nominees for best original song along with “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2,” “Let It Go” from

Feb. 13, 2014

After nearly five years since making their K-pop debut, the four ladies of 2NE1 are finally releasing the act’s second full studio album titled “Crush.” The group’s upcoming album is slated to be released on Feb. 24, the same day rivaling powerhouse girl group Girls’ Generation is scheduled to release its comeback EP album “Mr. Mr.”YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk is calling this album 2NE1’s “first full album with brand new songs,” explaining that the ladies’ debut studio album featured only

Feb. 13, 2014

Samulnori master Kim Duk-soo has a knack for fusing different styles of music. For the past three decades, he has collaborated with numerous musicians from around the world in a variety of genres ranging from pop to jazz to classical music. All his collaborations were meant to reinvent the beats and sounds of samulnori, a genre of Korean traditional percussion music. Kim launched a groundbreaking band named SamulNori in 1978. This year, he is going to shake up the music scene again with a band o

Feb. 12, 2014

South Korea’s two largest entertainment companies, whose performers include Big Bang, Girls’ Generation and Psy, have become members of the country’s main lobby group for big businesses, an official press announcement said Tuesday.The Federation of Korean Industries said the group’s 21-member executive body approved the membership of SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment along with applications made by 52 other companies. The other companies are leaders in the country’s service and tech venture

Feb. 12, 2014

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea opened a digital museum library on Tuesday that offers a comprehensive collection of materials on modern and contemporary Korean art. The two-story library, set up in the Seoul branch of the MMCA, features a collection of research materials including art books, exhibition catalogues, pamphlet files and artists’ books. The Seoul Museum opened in November last year. It is open to citizens, art students, experts and foreigners.The first floo

Feb. 11, 2014

The Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 will take place at Olympic Park, Seoul, on May 17 and 18. (Private Curve)Big names in the world of jazz, as well as several renowned musicians from around the world, will make their way to Seoul this spring.Three-time Grammy winner and jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz piano legend Eddie Palmieri and famous Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice will perform at the Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 to be held at Olympic Park in Seoul on May 17 and 18.Haden, Palmieri and Rice are

Feb. 11, 2014

South Korean pop singer Kim Jang-hoon will sing the famous Korean folk song “Arirang” during one of Italy’s largest cultural festivals to celebrate the March 1 anniversary of the Korean Independence Movement, his management agency said Tuesday.Kim will sing the song together with a traditional Korean percussion ensemble at the main stage in San Marco Plaza, Venice, on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 as a lead performer in the Carnival of Venice, the agency said. He was previously scheduled to sing only on F

Feb. 11, 2014

K-pop group Girls’ Generation will release its fourth EP, titled “Mr.Mr.,” this month, the group’s management agency said Tuesday.It will be the group’s first album since “I Got a Boy,” released in January 2013.Before the official release, the group will upload the title track “Mr.Mr.” on local online music services such as Melon, Naver Music and Genie, SM Entertainment said.On Tuesday, the girls unveiled teaser videos on their official website, YouTube and Facebook.“Girls’ Generation gained glo

Feb. 11, 2014

Seasoned classical singers, musicians and theatrical professionals have teamed up onstage to make a Mozart opera an enjoyable mix of music and laugh-out-loud comedy. “A mission has brought us all here,” said Chang Jae-young, president of Royal Art & Music Korea, as his team rehearsed for the upcoming production of “Cosi fan Tutte” on Sunday afternoon. “That is to make opera more accessible.” And it is no easy undertaking. “Cosi fan Tutte” is the final piece in an opera trilogy written by Mozart

Feb. 10, 2014

For installation artist Koo Hyun-mo, art is a record of memories and scenes that linger in his mind, rather than a portrayal of the present.He recasts his childhood memories and presents slices of them as installations. In his latest exhibition in Seoul, he showcases wooden installation pieces that were created to preserve memories of his childhood home in the old area of Sajik-dong, northern Seoul. Always attached to space, the artist focuses on certain features of his childhood home, such as t

Feb. 10, 2014

“His music needed one thing. Her.” The concise, yet powerful phrase poetically summarizes the core essence of the on-screen musical production-turned-live Broadway show “Once.” The 2006 independent Irish musical film ― with a next-to-nothing budget and starring professional musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as the leads, despite the fact they had no professional acting background ― was, to say the least, a surprising international success story. Considering the unexpected success of “On

Feb. 10, 2014