Austrian musical brings touching portrayal of legendary empressThere was a standing ovation, cheers and prolonged applause. Austrian musical “Elisabeth,” which kicked off its first show on Feb. 9, managed to captivate the local audience during its first week, in spite of a number of flaws.The musical, which portrays the life and death of the real-life iconic Austrian empress Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (1837-1898), is being staged in Korea for the first time. Former girl group FIN.K.L member-turne

Feb. 15, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― As fans await autopsy results that may not come for weeks, speculation raged Monday that pop legend Whitney Houston may have died from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol.Houston, who possessed one of the greatest-ever singing voices and sold more than 170 million records, fought a long and public battle with substance abuse after her career and personal life went off the rails.She was found dead on Saturday afternoon, at the age of just 48, in her bathtub in

Feb. 14, 2012

K-pop artists are looking for opportunities to enter markets outside Asia as competition in the market stiffens.Decreasing album sales due to the popularity of music download and video-sharing sites and the arrival of international pop stars to perform in Asia are leading K-pop stars to look further afield.“They are trying to make money to cover losses from their album sales,” an official at CJ E&M said.“K-pop artists are competing with world stars in the Asian market. So we need to target marke

Feb. 14, 2012

 ISPA CEO David Baile says Korean arts scene ‘progressive’The month of June will be an exciting month for Korea’s performing arts scene as the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) Congress will held in Seoul for the first time. The six-day event will bring some of the most influential performing arts figures together here, including Sydney Opera House’s chief executive Richard Evans, New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s executive director Zarin Mehta and Singapore’s Esplanade CEO Be

Feb. 14, 2012

MADRID (AFP) ― Spain on Tuesday opens one of the most extensive Marc Chagall exhibitions ever mounted, a feat that organizers say will not be repeated for many years.From canvasses peopled with peasants, musicians and circus characters to illustrations of books and fables, a broad sweep of the Russian master’s works is on show in Madrid.“It is extremely rare to have so many masterpieces together, to bring together so many paintings from all over the world is something that won’t happen again for

Feb. 14, 2012

South Korea's top girl group T-ara said they could hardly believe their eyes when they were besieged by fans seeking their autographs during a performance tour in Paris early this month."It was such an amazing experience because all we wished in the past was to rise to the top of a local pop music c

Feb. 14, 2012

As fans await autopsy results that may not come for weeks, speculation raged Monday that pop legend Whitney Houston may have died from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol. A T-shirt, flowers and notes are left at a makeshift memorial for Whitney Houston outside the Beverly Hills Hilt

Feb. 14, 2012

Director of audiences and media at London’s Tate galleries talks about communicating with public in digital eraThe audience is completely changing, said Marc Sands, director of Audiences and Media at Britain’s Tate, just as it was when Tate Modern opened in 2000. “That was the moment when the audience changed both in terms of numbers and the type of people that came. Tate Modern brought contemporary art from the fringes of culture to the mainstream,” said Sands at a press conference on Monday at

Feb. 13, 2012

Paik Hae-sun, one of Korea’s favorite pianists, is well-known for her powerful and large-scale performances that produce great enthusiasm among audience members. The 46-year-old artist, who left the country in a surprise move seven years ago to concentrate on her performances, says her new life in New York has changed her and her music.“I used to give dramatic comparison during the recitals, but now I want to play the music with my free spirit and my life full of experiences and feelings,” Paik

Feb. 13, 2012

Whitney Houston’s death casts shadow on awards show as performers pay tributeLOS ANGELES (AP) ― Adele, who captured the world’s heart with an album about a broken romance, emerged as the top winner at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, winning six trophies including the prestigious trifecta of record, song and album of the year.The singer, who also made a triumphant comeback from vocal cord surgery on the Grammy stage, sobbed as she won the night’s final award, album of the year, for “21.’’ It was last yea

Feb. 13, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said Houston was pron

Feb. 12, 2012

 Exhibitions"Dutch Magic Realism: Past toward Contemporary": Museum of Art in Seoul National University presents 71 Dutch paintings and sculptures from ING Banks’s collections. The show will trace 80 years of figurative art, from Dutch realism to recent works, by displaying artworks by the European country’s representative artists including Carel Willink, Wim Schuhmacher and Philip Akkerman. The exhibition runs through April 12 at Seoul National University’s Museum of Art in Sillim-dong, souther

Feb. 10, 2012

Corruption-stained Seoul Fashion Center closed and SFW searches for new organizerWith the Seoul Fashion Center shut down, Seoul Fashion Week, which has been hosted by the center for the past 12 years, will be run by a private company. Seoul Metropolitan City said it aims to “expand participation of private companies and enhance professionalism,” but everyone knows there is more to the story. Seoul Fashion Center, an affiliate of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Seoul Business Agency, which has be

Feb. 9, 2012