Most Popular
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Seoul chastises predatory pricing claims over Czech nuclear export deal
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3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police
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Xiaomi takes 2nd spot after Samsung in August smartphone sales
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[Herald Interview] Kim Woo-bin grew to appreciate ‘unseen’ heroes with ‘Officer Black Belt’
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Hybe acquires US PR agency
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Heavy rain, strong winds to lash Korea this weekend
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Yoon, Fiala seek wider range of cooperation beyond nuclear energy
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'Music Bank' team demands apology from Real Madrid for cancellation of Madrid concert
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Car crashes into restaurant; 1 dead, 5 injured
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[Exclusive] [Herald Interview] MBK incapable of running Korea Zinc’s Australia business: Aussie renewable energy CEO
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[Herald Review] ‘Jamie’ kicks out hate with red high heels
It is said that high heels were originally designed for men. Though they are more conventionally worn by women these days, the Korean-language musical “Jamie” blurs the line between men and women with a pair of bright red high heels. The successful West End musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” opened in Korea earlier this month under the name “Jamie.” It was the first time the show was staged outside the UK, and the first adaptation in a language
July 28, 2020
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[Herald Interview] ‘I am the luckiest conductor’
For Wilson Ng, the associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, getting to the venue of the 2020 Mahler Competition was like “riding a roller coaster.” The competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany, defying many people’s expectation that the prestigious competition for conductors under 35 may not take place as scheduled. Travel restrictions, however, presented challenges to some of the16 contestants invited to perform in Bamberg,
July 27, 2020
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[Herald Review] Revival of ballet with impassioned ‘Onegin’
Universal Ballet successfully presented “Onegin,” the first full-length ballet to go on the stage in Korea in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Onegin,” a drama of tragic love, went onstage from July 18 to Sunday at the Chungmu Arts Center in central Seoul. The drama ballet created by celebrated choreographer John Cranko is based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin.” Kurt-Heinz Stolze arranged the music for the production, editing various
July 26, 2020
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Songpa-gu draws criticism over cancellation of ‘Mr. Trot’ concert
The much-anticipated “Mr. Trot” tour, scheduled to start Friday at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul and continue nationwide, has been delayed yet again after the local government banned concerts to crowds of over 5,000. TV Chosun’s “Mr. Trot,” an audition program that chose the best trot singer out of 100 contestants, posted record viewership ratings when it aired from January to March this year. Attesting to its popularity across generations, tickets to the
July 25, 2020
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MPyC kicks off 3-week run celebrating Beethoven
The curtain went up on the 17th Music in PyeongChang festival Wednesday, kicking off three weeks of concerts. The biannual classical music festival, organized by the Gangwon Arts & Culture Foundation, will be held across Gangwon Province until Aug. 8. This year, the festival is titled “Must it be? It must be!” paying homage to Beethoven. Like many other music festivals this year, the summer event celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the composer. On Wednesday,
July 22, 2020
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NGC publishes English e-book on gugak instruments
The National Gugak Center recently published the second edition of English-language e-book “Traditional Korean Instruments: A Practical Guide for Composers,” aiming to introduce gugak, traditional Korean music, instruments to foreign composers. The first edition of the guide, containing information about gayageum, geomungo, daegeum, piri, haegeum and ajaeng, was published in 2018. The new e-book, written by gugak musicians and scholars, was published in Korean last year. An Englis
July 22, 2020
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Resumption of large indoor concerts deadlocked again due to COVID-19
A recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Seoul and its nearby cities has hindered the scheduled resumptions of large concerts in the capital, which have been on hold for months. On Tuesday, Songpa Ward in southeastern Seoul prohibited all indoor events of more than 5,000 people from taking place at arenas and concert halls in the district, where large indoor sporting facilities, the legacy of 1988 Seoul Olympics, are located. The measure came as the Seoul metropolitan area has been report
July 22, 2020
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Pianist Kim Sun-wook to hold recital in September
Classical music production company Vincero announced Monday that pianist Kim Sun-wook’s much-anticipated recital will be held Sept. 13 at the Seoul Arts Center. Kim’s recital was initially scheduled to take place in March, but was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19. At the recital, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Kim will present the great maestro’s Andante Favori, WoO 57; Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109; Piano Sonata No. 31, Op. 110; and P
July 21, 2020
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‘Open Theater 2020’ to run ‘health check’ on drama scene
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its plans for the “Open Theater 2020” project, aiming to invigorate the theater scene. Instead of presenting a large number of plays, the project will run a diagnostic test on the current state of the country’s drama scene. “Open Theater 2020” will consist of 14 programs -- including seminars, talks and workshops -- all focused on creating a healthier theater scene. The project worth 2.1 billion won ($1.74 mi
July 20, 2020
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S. Korean soprano Sumi Jo wins art award in Italy
Grammy Award-winning South Korean soprano Sumi Jo has won an award in Italy's global film and music festival, according to the singer on Sunday. Sumi Jo has received the art award in the music division of the 2020 Ischia Global Film and Music Festival for her contribution to the film industry and efforts to help cope with the new coronavirus outbreak, according to Jo. This month, Jo put out a new single album titled "Life is a Miracle" in Italy, paying tribute to the victims of COVI
July 19, 2020
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Ssak 3 sweeps music charts, bring back ‘90s vibe
Ssak 3 released the group’s newest song, “Here at the Beach Again” at 6 p.m. on Saturday and rocketed to the top of various music charts, including Melon, Flo, Bugs and Genie Music, among others, Sunday. Entertainer Yoo Jae-seok, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain came together on MBC’s “Hangout With Yoo” as a trio -- Ssak 3 -- in early June, forming a new powerhouse in the online music charts scene. The trio announced that it would release dance music for the summ
July 19, 2020
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Sumi Jo releases single, mourning COVID-19 victims
Celebrated soprano Sumi Jo has released her new single “Life is a Miracle,” singing for the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new single “Life is a Miracle,” released on YouTube on Friday, mourns the deaths of COVID-19 victims. “I wanted to console the people who are going through difficulties and feeling empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing the sadness and longing for the loved ones lost,” Jo said through a press release Wednesday. The single
July 15, 2020
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Classical music fests to bring live music back
Though the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be contained, summer music festivals in Korea are continuing their run under changed lineups and schedules. The 17th Music in PyeongChang, a biannual classical music festival held across Gangwon Province by the Gangwon Arts & Culture Foundation, will run from July 22 to Aug. 8. Nine main concerts will be held at Alpensia Resort, presenting Beethoven’s symphonies, chamber music and solo piano works, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the mae
July 14, 2020
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Sejong Center to present 1,000 won shows
The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul will present two shows this month for 1,000 won, in an effort to promote the arts and lower the barriers for the public. Since the center’s “A Whole Rest” program began in 2007, it has offered diverse shows, crisscrossing genres from classical music and musical theater to dance and gugak, traditional Korean music, for 1,000 won (83 cents) per ticket. The musical “Spring Dream” will be staged at the cente
July 13, 2020
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[Herald Review] ‘Broadway 42nd’ shows glamour of musical
Though New York’s Broadway will remain closed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, musical “Broadway 42nd Street” takes its audiences straight to the 1930s of the iconic musical district. The Korean-language version of musical “Broadway 42nd Street” opened June 20 at the Charlotte Theater in eastern Seoul. With its premiere in New York in 1980, the musical is regarded as one of the earliest big-budget musical productions, often represented by “Cats,&rdq
July 7, 2020
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SPO conductor wins 3rd place at Mahler Competition
The associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Wilson Ng has won the third place at the 2020 Mahler Competition. The Mahler Competition is a triennial competition for conductors under 35 organized by the Bamberg Symphony. This year’s competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany. It was the first in-person international music competition to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was live streamed via Facebook and YouTube. A total of 334 contenders
July 7, 2020
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[The Arts Amid COVID-19] With venues closed, performing arts look for new outlets
During the COVID-19 pandemic, paid subscription models such as Netflix and YouTube Premium may be an answer for the performing arts scene, according to the CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. While it has become the norm for performing art troupes to reach out to audiences at home online in recent months, the Sejong Center’s CEO Kim Sung-kyu believes a sustainable business model must be built soon. As of now, most performances are streamed online free of charge. “Vi
July 4, 2020
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VR gugak experience stretches out from palace to hanok
The National Gugak Center has released a second series of virtual reality performances, following the previous release in March. In March, the state-funded music institution released a series of videos made with virtual reality technology, introducing various gugak instruments. It released 20 more VR videos Wednesday, recorded at venues that show the beauty of traditional Korean architecture. A total of eight court music and court dance videos were filmed in Changdeokgung, a Joseon-era
July 4, 2020
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Jang Sung-kyu releases song ‘Workman’ to support job seekers
Celebrity Jang Sung-kyu released his latest song “Workman” featuring Jay Park and Sik-K on Wednesday. The making of the song was shown through a video that was uploaded on his popular YouTube channel Workman on June 24. In his channel that has over 3 million subscribers, Jang introduces and shares his experience with different jobs, ranging from working in an aquarium to a construction site. “All the proceeds will be donated to financially support industrial accident workers
July 4, 2020
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Yeowoorak Festival to open online
The 2020 Yeowoorak Festival, a gugak-themed festival organized by the National Theater of Korea, will kick off online a day later than its original schedule. As the government suspended operation of state-run museums and theaters in the Seoul metropolitan area on June 12 until further notice, the National Theater of Korea must remain closed. Although it is shut down, the theater will continue with its annual festival, streaming two of the shows online via its channels on Naver TV and YouTub
July 3, 2020