Seoul Metropolitan Opera to present gala concert next month

Seoul Metropolitan Opera will stage Opera Gala Concert next month at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts featuring popular opera arias and vocal ensembles from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute,” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata.” Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra led by Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Jang Yun-seung will accompany the singers. Comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup will provid

April 12, 2022

Two young Korean musicians win Carl Nielsen prizes

Two young emerging Korean musicians took home prizes from the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Competition, the Kumho Culture Foundation announced Monday. Flutist Kim Seo-hyeon and violinist Kim Eun-che placed second and third in their respective categories at the competition that took place in Denmark on Sunday. Kim, received 10,000 euros ($10,900) in prize money and two special prizes -- the Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize and Junior Jury Prize. Italian flutist Alberto Mavarra snatched t

April 11, 2022

BTS wins 3rd consecutive favorite music group at Kids’ Choice Awards

K-pop boy band BTS took home the award for favorite music group for the third consecutive year at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. The seven-member band won the award over Black Eyed Peas, Florida Georgia Line, Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5 and Migos at the 35th Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards that took place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday (US time). The latest achievement puts BTS in a tie with Black Eyed Peas, One Direction and Fifth Harmony as the o

April 11, 2022

YG Entertainment holds Big Bang’s ‘Still Life’ cover contest

YG Entertainment is hosting a cover contest on YouTube to celebrate the release of K-pop juggernaut Big Bang’s new song, “Still Life,” the company said Friday. Kicking off on Friday, the cover contest will run through April 29. Participants can upload a video on YouTube of themselves singing or playing instruments to the entire song, the agency said. Applicants must include the contest’s specific hashtags and submit a Google Forms application, the agency said. Videos

April 8, 2022

YG Entertainment vocal trainer to release ‘Where Would We Go’

Lee Dong-soo, a vocal trainer to K-pop musicians at YG Entertainment, will release her new single “Where Would We Go” on Friday at noon via music streaming platforms, according to Local High Records on Thursday. The teaser video for the upcoming single, a 16-second video clip showing an animated whale swimming in the night sky, was released on Local High Records’ official social media channels on Wednesday. “Where Would We Go” is a jazz pop-style song about longin

April 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Time for K-pop to diversify’

Korean popular music, often abbreviated as “K-pop,” has become one of the most popular music genres around the world. In the span of a few decades, K-pop has grown from a regional sensation to a cultural powerhouse, fueled by the local agencies and artists’ endeavors to tap into the global music scene. While the first generation of K-pop groups got their start in the early 1990s to 2000s backed by major entertainment firms, a mover and shaker behind K-pop’s global rise

April 6, 2022

National Orchestra of Metz to tour Korea

France’s National Orchestra of Metz will embark on a Korean tour later this month, the first foreign orchestra to perform in the country this year, signaling a return to normalcy in international music tours. The orchestra, led by music and artistic director David Reiland since 2018, will perform in five Korean cities from April 29 to May 3. Reiland, the Belgium conductor who has also been leading the Korean National Symphony Orchestra since January, will take the baton for the five pe

April 5, 2022

Korean-American violinist Jennifer Koh’s pandemic-defying project wins her Grammy

Korean-American violinist Jennifer Koh has won the Best Instrumental Solo Award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for her recording “Alone Together” on Sunday (US time). “Alone Together” is based on Koh’s online performance series of the same name, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial hardship that many in the arts community face. In the album released by Cedille Records, a not-for-profit record label, Koh plays 39 world premiere recor

April 5, 2022

Seoul Jazz Festa at Nodeul Island to add to spring vibe in the city with in-person concerts

A six-day music festival bringing together Korean jazz musicians will be held next month, organizers announced Tuesday. The 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa will take place on Nodeul Island, Seoul, starting April 26, according to the Korea Jazz Association. The in-person festival aims to celebrate the UNESCO-designated International Jazz Day, highlighting jazz and its role in uniting people around the globe. It has been selected as one of the seven leading festivals in Seoul this year. Admission is fre

April 5, 2022

Artist Woosung to release all-English EP ‘Moth’ next month

Korean American singer-songwriter Woosung will release an all-English language EP titled “Moth” next month, according to Transparent Arts. The upcoming EP will include four tracks written and produced by the artist that encapsulate the theme of moth. “Moth” will be released May 13 via global music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The music video will be available on Woosung’s official YouTube channel. “This album is for the people t

April 5, 2022

BTS lights up Grammys with first in-person showcase

BTS brightened up the Grammy Awards with its megahit “Butter,” marking the K-pop phenomenon’s first live stand-alone performance on music’s biggest night. The septet -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- was the fourth act to go onstage at the awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday. BTS transformed themselves into undercover agents for a performance that began with Jin operating computers straight out of a spy movie, while Jungko

April 4, 2022

Blue Man Group returns to Korea

Blue Man Group, a nonverbal stage show that blends art, technology, music and comedy, is coming back to meet Korean audiences after a pandemic-induced delay, its Korean distribution company Mast Entertainment said Monday. The Blue Man Group features three bald and blue characters, who “explore the world and discover music, comedy and surprises at every turn.” Since its debut in 1991 in New York, the show has been performed in front of more than 35 million people around the world.

April 4, 2022

BTS’ military exemption not discussed ‘yet’: Presidential transition team

Saturday’s meeting between officials of the agency of boy band BTS, Hybe, and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee went without discussing the K-pop sensation’s possible military service exemption, a high-ranking official said, while hinting it could be discussed in the new administration. There was “no mention about the military service at all,” Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of Yoon’s presidential transition committee, told reporters after his visit t

April 3, 2022

‘Squid Game’ star Jung Ho-yeon to appear in The Weeknd’s new music video

South Korean model and actor Jung Ho-yeon, who rose to global stardom in the Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” will appear in the music video of Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. The Weeknd posted a photo of the two holding hands in an elevator on his social media, Friday, hinting that the music video for “Out of Time” is set to be released Tuesday. “Out of Time” is a track from the pop singer’s fifth studio album titled “Dawn FM,” whic

April 3, 2022

Violinist E.S. Kim to play through 300 years of violin history

Violinist Edwin E.S. Kim is embarking on an unprecedented journey with 30 concerts, collectively titled “Dots and Lines,” aiming to explore 300 years of violin history. “By mathematical definition, a point is a place in space; a line is a set of points, and a surface is a set of lines,” Kim said during a press conference Tuesday. “I thought it would be intriguing to showcase how the works of great composers throughout history are connected. Each work is a formulat

April 2, 2022

Musical ‘Kpop’ featuring Luna to hit Broadway

“Kpop,” an original musical about what it takes to be a K-pop star, is hitting Broadway in October after five years as a smaller scale show that has grown in popularity in tandem with the global rise of Korean music. “Kpop” premiered as an immersive off-Broadway show in the fall of 2017. The production received the 2018 Richard Rodgers Award, three Lucille Lortel Awards, including best musical, the Off Broadway Alliance Award, and seven Drama Desk Award nominations. It

March 31, 2022

[Herald Interview] World’s top DJ hopes to work with BTS

K-pop has become a truly global phenomenon, thanks to its distinctive blend of melodies, powerful choreography and an endless parade of attractive performers. Amid the popularity of K-pop worldwide, an increasing number of big-name artists are wooing Korean musicians. It is a desire shared by Brazilian DJ Alok, who has worked with global artists such as John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Jason Derulo, Dua Lipa and Steve Aoki. While the world’s top DJ is still thirsty for more collaboration project

March 31, 2022

[Herald Interview] Clarinetist Cho Sung-ho to bring rare Baroque pieces to stage

   Clarinet player Cho Sung-ho discovered his passion for wind instruments when he played the recorder for the first time in fifth grade. He had been exposed to music from an early age by his mother who was a piano teacher, and by his maternal grandfather who was a professional violinist. “For some reason that I couldn’t pinpoint, I wasn’t a big fan of the violin or the piano, but once I played the recorder, I knew I had a knack for wind instruments,” Cho tol

March 29, 2022

[Herald Interview] Artist Lang Lee sings about the less fortunate, the weak

There are many titles that could be used to describe Lang Lee -- from singer-songwriter and writer to film director and cartoonist. The 35-year-old multitalented artist has striven hard to tell people what the world in which she lives is like through different forms of art. Lang Lee is mostly known as a singer-songwriter, although her music is overshadowed by the popular music styles of today. After debuting in 2012 with her first full-length album “Yon Yonson,” the artist has focu

March 29, 2022

[Herald Interview] Chin Unsuk returns to Korea to lead 20-year-old Tongyeong International Music Festival

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- On Friday evening at Tongyeong Concert Hall, Chin Unsuk, one of the world’s leading contemporary composers, sat down in the audience to witness the first performance of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, which she now leads as its artistic director for the next five years. Chin observed as Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska was met with rousing, minuteslong applause from the audience for her direction of Andrew Norman’s Asia premiere o

March 28, 2022