[Herald Interview] Rising conductor Kim Eun Sun to make Korean debut

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

July 19, 2022

[Unveil] Choreographer Hyojin Choi on life before and after ‘Street Woman Fighter’

The 2021 TV competition “Street Woman Fighter” has changed the scene for dancers. The show put dancers, who usually played a support role on the stage, in the spotlight and gave them their own fan bases. Hyojin Choi said she could feel the change after her time on the popular show. “I’ve been dancing since I was a student, and at that time, everyone from my school teachers to my family had this image about dancing: ‘How is that going to make a living?’ &ls

July 18, 2022

Yearning for peace, music festival at DMZ to kick off July 24

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

July 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] Lim Hyang-hwa, 70, returns to stage 4 decades late

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

July 13, 2022

National Theater unveils 2022-2023 season program

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

July 12, 2022

Pianist Cho Seong-jin to perform Chopin concertos outdoors

  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

July 12, 2022

Korean EDM fans cool off at Songkran Music Festival

Songkran Music Festival landed in Korea for the first time over the weekend, with heart-thumping music and about 1 million liters of water. S2O Korea took place at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday. Some 40,000 festivalgoers attended the two-day event to enjoy performances by top electronic dance artists while being sprayed with water. The daytime highs reached over 35 degrees Celsius over the weekend, but the festivalgoers came equipped -- wi

July 11, 2022

[Herald Review] Dance fever continues at ‘Street Woman Fighter’ reunion concert

After seeing phenomenal success with Mnet’s dance survival show “Street Woman Fighter,” female dance crews from the program returned over the weekend with more powerful and dynamic performances for a reunion show at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium at Seoul’s Olympic Park. The two-day event “Street Woman Fighter Reunion: The Next Era” was a treat for the audience and also a chance for the eight top-tier dance crews -- YGX, Lachica, Want, WayB, Coca N Butter

July 11, 2022

Gonjiam Music Festival, dedicated to flute, to return next week

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

July 11, 2022

Gaon Chart aims to become global K-pop chart with new name

South Korean music sales tracker Gaon Chart has debuted a new name with an aim to provide the most accurate and diverse K-pop data for fans all around the world. The Korea Music Content Association, which operates the Gaon chart, held a proclamation ceremony in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, Thursday, during which it layed out a road map for its renewed K-pop chart, as well as unveiling the brand new name for the chart -- Circle Chart. Gaon Chart, founded in 2010, has operated as the country‘

July 7, 2022

Legendary rock band Songolmae to take time-slip adventure at reunion concert tour

Iconic South Korean rock band Songolmae is ready to start a time-slip adventure to the 1980s by embarking on a nationwide tour with the long-awaited reunion of Bae Cheol-soo and Koo Chang-mo. At a press conference to introduce Songolmae’s upcoming concert series, titled “Songolmae Live Tour 2022” in Hapjeong, Seoul, on Wednesday, the two best-known members of Songolmae shared their excitement for the upcoming rock ‘n’ roll event. “We will perform as if we a

July 6, 2022

Maroon 5 removes Rising Sun Flag on homepage amid controversy

American pop-rock band Maroon 5 removed the design of Japan's imperial-era flag from the band's official website Wednesday after the use of the image angered South Korean music fans ahead of its world tour that includes stops in Asian countries. According to sources in the music scene, the band deleted the image of the Rising Sun Flag from the website Wednesday morning, replacing it with an image of the band. Maroon 5 used the design in the background of a post released Saturday to ann

July 6, 2022

[Herald Interview] Son Yeol-eum: The shy girl from Gangwon to acclaimed pianist

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

July 6, 2022

Montreal Symphony Orchestra to present passionate repertoire

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

July 5, 2022

Maroon 5 accused of using Rising Sun flag in world tour poster

Rock band Maroon 5 has been embroiled in controversy for using the design of a disputed Japanese Rising Sun flag in its world tour poster. The band recently announced through its official website that it will kick off the tour in Quebec City on Saturday and travel to Asia to perform in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Manila and Bangkok. The five-piece act’s Seoul concert is scheduled for Nov. 30 at Gocheok Sky Dome.　 While the upcoming visit to Korea marks a return for Maroon 5 after ne

July 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] K-Arts President Kim Dae-jin hails role of devoted teachers

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

July 4, 2022

Music in PyeongChang opens with masks in focus

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

July 3, 2022

Girl group aespa to attend UN meeting on sustainable development

  　South Korean girl group aespa will attend the U.N. High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development next week, its agency said Friday. 　 　The band will attend the opening session of the forum, to be held at the U.N. headquarters in New York at 9 a.m. on Tuesday (U.S. time), SM Entertainment said. 　 　During the meeting, the quartet will deliver a speech on the subject of “Next generation to the next level” and perform its hit song “Next Level.” 　 　The annual

July 2, 2022

BTS' J-Hope tops iTunes charts in 84 countries

J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, topped the iTunes music charts in 84 countries with his first official solo single “More” on Saturday. 　 Released on Friday, J-Hope‘s new EP ranked No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs charts in the United States, Canada, Spain, France and other countries. 　 The music video of “More” topped 10 million views on video streaming platform YouTube in about 10 hours after the EP’s release. 　 “More” is an old-scho

July 2, 2022

37 Koreans awarded at int'l classical music competitions in H1

A total of 37 South Korean nationals have won prizes at 25 international classical music competitions held in the first half of this year, a local cultural foundation said Friday. Twelve Korean pianists were awarded at 13 contests, and seven violinists won medals at nine competitions during the January-June period, according to Kumho Cultural Foundation. In competitions for viola and cello, four and six Koreans, respectively, reached a podium, while four wind instrument players and four artists

July 1, 2022