[Herald Interview] Cellist Hans Jorgen Jensen guides budding local musicians

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The Pyeongchang Music Festival & School is still going strong in its 13th year, with its annual classical music festivities kicking off on July 12 under the theme “The Immortal Classics: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Beyond.”It was formerly known as the Great Mountains Music Festival. Organized by classical music stars cellist Chung Myung-wha and violinist Chung Kyung-wha, this year’s event invited top musicians from around to world to perform, while acclaimed arti

Aug. 4, 2016

Big Bang chosen to promote national slogan ‘Creative Korea’

Globally recognized K-pop group Big Bang will be representing Korea’s new slogan “Creative Korea” as a “Creative Icon,” the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday.“Big Bang will be promoting the ‘Creative Korea’ brand worldwide in its new role as a Creative Icon,” said the Culture Ministry. “The group will have a big impact on promoting Korea’s image.”Created ahead of the South Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002, the longtime nation brand “Dynamic Korea” was replaced with the new sl

Aug. 3, 2016

Astro to hold first Asia showcase in Thailand

Rookie K-pop band Astro will hold its first Asia showcase in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 29, according to the group’s management agency Fantagio on Wednesday. 　This will be an opportunity for Astro to showcase its music and get to know international fans, the company said.　Taking place at the Muang Thai GMM Live House, Central World, the performance will also feature an opening act by award-winning illusionist Kim Hyun-joon. 　 Within six months of its debut, Astro has already garnered wide global

Aug. 3, 2016

I.O.I’s first subunit to release new single

Returning as a seven-member subunit, K-pop girl group I.O.I revealed a teaser image for its upcoming single on the group’s official social media channels on Tuesday morning. 　The photo features seven of the 11 members -- Kim Do-yeon, Kim So-hye, Kim Chung-ha, Lim Na-young, Jeon So-mi, Zhou Jieqiong, and Choi Yoo-jung -- against a metallic background sporting platinum blonde wigs in identical all-white attire. This new look is in contrast with the bright and cheerful image the group had for its d

Aug. 2, 2016

Miryang pays tribute to Shakespeare

MIRYANG, South Gyeongsang Province --  One of the country’s biggest theater arts festivals, the annual Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival is continuing its daily staging of domestic and foreign plays under the theme “Theater: Putting Down its Roots in the Region” through Aug. 7.Now in its 16th year, the annual festival appears to have planted its roots firmly in the small city of Miryang, tucked away in the middle of South Gyeongsang Province.This year’s edition, slated to present 53 live t

Aug. 2, 2016

3 die at hospitals after attending California rave

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- One man and two women died after attending a weekend rave in California headlined by Ice Cube, Major Lazer and dozens of other hip-hop and electronic dance music performers, officials said Monday.The three people were among nine hospitalized during last weekend’s Hard Summer Music Festival in Fontana, San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.More than 146,000 people attended the Saturday to Sunday outdoor event, according to organizers.The victims were ide

Aug. 2, 2016

VIXX returns with new album

K-pop group VIXX is returning with a new album, “Hades,” on Aug. 12. After unveiling the first teaser image for the mini album Monday, the group’s management agency Jellyfish Entertainment released another promotional photo of the band via the company’s official social media channels Tuesday. Referring to the god of the underworld in Greek mythology, “Hades” is the second part of VIXX’s yearlong trilogy project titled “Conception.” The first album of the three-part series, “Zelos,” was released

Aug. 2, 2016

HyunA says she has more growing to do

Despite having spent significant time in the spotlight, singer-songwriter HyunA says she still has a long way to go. 　“I often get asked where I see myself in 10 years,” said HyunA during an interview at the office of her management agency Cube Entertainment in Seoul last Friday. “I just want to focus on becoming a better person and artiste than I was the previous day.”HyunA, a former member of defunct K-pop group 4Minute, returned as a solo artist with her first album “A’wesome” launched on Mon

Aug. 2, 2016

Japan exhibition mourns fading sex culture

TOKYO (AFP) - A sex exhibition smack in the middle in one of Tokyo’s hippest areas is shining a nostalgic light on Japanese erotica -- a culture the curator believes is dying out.Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s “Erotopia Japan” deals with Japanese sexuality and fantasies. The gallery in the heart of Shibuya’s trendy fashion district is plastered from floor to ceiling with eye-boggling prints, with one wall dedicated to love hotel beds.“This kind of Showa period (1926-1989) culture is being wiped out, as Japan

Aug. 1, 2016

Harlem burgeons as an art gallery district

NEW YORK (AP) -- The opening of the Clara Francis Gallery on Wednesday in a renovated Harlem storefront was an exciting moment for Haile King Rubie. It was the first solo show for the 26-year-old painter, whose expressive works are all the more remarkable because he was born with Down syndrome.It also was another small step in the development of Harlem as an art gallery district.The neighborhood is still a long way from replacing Chelsea or Brooklyn as the epicenter of the city’s art scene, but

Aug. 1, 2016

German singer, K-pop fanatic Jamie-Lee visits Korea

German singer and self-proclaimed K-pop enthusiast Jamie-Lee Kriewitz -- better known simply as Jamie-Lee -- has made her first visit to Korea.The winner of the popular German talent show “The Voice of Germany,” the 18-year-old singer will be traveling throughout Korea until Aug. 3, according to the Korea Tourism Organization’s Frankfurt Office. In order to experience the Korean pop culture and music scene firsthand, she plans to visit Dongdaemun Market, Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower on Mo

Aug. 1, 2016

2PM’s Jun. K to release first solo album

Jun. K, the main vocalist for six-member K-pop group 2PM, will be releasing his first solo album “Mr. No Love,” according to his management agency JYP Entertainment.The full track list for the upcoming mini album was unveiled on the company’s official social media channels on Monday. Jun. K is an experienced songwriter who has produced hit songs like “Go Crazy” and “My House” for 2PM. He has already established himself as a solo artist in Japan, but “Mr. No Love” will be his first solo album rel

Aug. 1, 2016

Seoul museums offer wealth of children’s programs in August

With the summer vacation season just starting, museums in Seoul are gearing up to attract young visitors and their parents to a variety of programs. 　The National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will offer overnight programs and museum tours that guide children through dimmed exhibition halls like in the film “Night at the Museum.” 　During the overnight program “One Night and Two Days,” the NMK will take elementary school children between 10 and 13 t

July 31, 2016

[Album Review] Lil Durk’s new album may dominate summer

Lil Durk“Lil Durk 2X”(Def Jam) Maybe the most telling thing about Lil Durk's new album "Lil Durk 2X" (Def Jam) is that it wasn't supposed to be an album in the first place. It was supposed to be a free mixtape for fans. But one listen to "Lil Durk 2X" and it's clear that these songs are too well-crafted not to get the full push of an album release. After all the buzz that his love song "My Beyonce" with Dej Loaf received from his previous mixtape "300 Days 300 Nights," his label smartly saw the

July 29, 2016

[Album Review] Candi Staton blends gospel and dance on new album

Candi Staton“It’s Time to Be Free” (Beracah Records) Candi Staton blends gospel themes and messages of redemption and caution with dance music, funk and soul on “It’s Time to Be Free,” revisiting earlier hits and perhaps creating new ones.  Staton, whose career since the early 1950s has ranged from gospel to R&B to disco and back, takes a spiritual approach on the songs, near all her own, with the mostly upbeat arrangements buffering any excesses. Based on the first couple of tracks – “Shout Out

July 29, 2016

[Album Review] MSTRKRFT return after seven years

MSTRKRFT“Operator”(Last Gang) The Canadian duo MSTRKRFT is no stranger to the poppier side of dance music. After all, Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P remixed Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and Kylie Minogue's "Wow," as well as collaborating with John Legend on "Heartbreaker" for their last album. However, on "Operator" (Last Gang), their first album in seven years, MSTRKRFT balance their melodic side with songs that are far more aggressive and challenging. The result is a bit of a seesaw, especially e

July 29, 2016

[Highlights] Arts and entertainment calendar

Dance “Giselle: A Death-defying Love Story”: Universal Ballet will kick off a local tour with “Giselle” at the Chungmu Arts Hall from Aug. 12-14. “Giselle,” choreographed by Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa, is a romantic ballet in two acts that premiered at Universal Arts Center -- previously Little Angels Art Hall -- in 1985. The ballet depicts the tragic love story of peasant girl Giselle trying to save her lover from a group of supernatural women despite his betrayal. The performance will begi

July 29, 2016