Coldplay, Ambiguous Dance Company make buzz with ‘Higher Power’

Ambiguous Dance Company, which rose to stardom with its 600-million-view YouTube hit video “Tiger is Coming” with alternative pop band Leenalchi, has joined hands with celebrated rock band Coldplay for its new single. The British rock band, led by lead singer and frontman Chris Martin, released its new single “Higher Power” Friday. In a performance video of the single shared on YouTube, Ambiguous Dance Company dancers appear as hologram dancers, dressed in eccentric co

May 10, 2021

Gugak center shares sound source featuring master singers

The National Gugak Center has released some 2,800 sound sources of traditional Korean music sung by celebrated master singers online for free. Over the past year, the state-funded center dedicated to traditional Korean music has been working on developing sound sources of traditional Korean music on its Musical Instrument Digital Interface platform, also known as MIDI. In September, the NGC released 407 sound sources of notes performed on traditional Korean instruments, along with 2,226 soun

May 10, 2021

Musical ‘Midnight Sun’ to be screened live at cinemas across Asia

A local production of the musical “Midnight Sun” will be screened live at cinemas in five Asian countries, including Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. According to the production company Shinswave on Friday, it is the first time a local musical will be screened live in cinemas abroad. On Friday, the performance will be screened at 29 CGV branches in Korea, 15 cinemas in Indonesia, three in Hong Kong, four in Taiwan and two in Singapore. On Sunday, 20 cinemas in

May 7, 2021

15 Korean pianists compete at Queen Elisabeth Competition

A total of 15 Korean pianists are competing in the first round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious international musical competition held in Brussels, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Known as one of the most challenging competitions for instrumentalists, the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s piano section will see 58 pianists -- nine women and 49 men -- from 16 countries vying for the top spot. At 15, Koreans account for 26 percent of the contestants. The

May 5, 2021

Musicals brace for disruptions with new COVID-19 infections

Hit by a series of COVID-19 infections, the musical scene is bracing for perhaps another virus crisis, following earlier shutdowns in March and August last year. Four cast members of the musical “Dracula,” set to run from mid-May, have confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus, sounding an alarm for musical productions.  Musical actors Shin Sung-rok who plays Dracula, Kang Tae-eul and Jeon Dong-seok playing the role of Van Helsing in the musical have tested posit

April 29, 2021

[Herald Interview] Soprano Im Sun-hae still thirsts for the stage

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, last year was still a major milestone for soprano Im Sun-hae who celebrated her two decadelong career. Since making her debut with conductor Philippe Herreweghe in Antwerp, Belgium in 1999, Im, 45, has been leading a singing career around the globe for more than 20 years. “Who knew this would happen? I had not known that I would debut in Europe, sing for more than 20 years,” Im said during a recent interview with The Korea

April 28, 2021

Global music streaming giants target Korea with tailor-made lists

The two biggest music streamers Spotify and Apple Music are attempting to penetrate the Korean market with unique playlists and music charts. Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, announced the launch of “Jazzy Korea,” a new playlist curated to introduce a wide range of rising Korean jazz artists and tracks to celebrate the upcoming International Jazz Day on April 30. The new playlist containing 30 tracks by 30 Korean jazz artists was launc

April 27, 2021

Maestro Chung Myung-whun reflects on life with new album of piano music

Maestro Chung Myung-whun is returning to the stage as a pianist with the release of his second piano album Thursday. Chung will be on a recital tour of five cities -- Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju and Daegu -- this month, the first time he is going on a recital tour in seven years. The recitals will focus on late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms. In addition to Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 60, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 and Brahms’ 4 Piano P

April 24, 2021

COVID-19 hits the musical industry

With the daily number of new COVID-19 cases almost reaching 800, the musical industry is on high alert as actor Son Jun-ho who is to appear in the musical “Dracula” next month tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. “Son Jun-ho wasn’t feeling well recently, so he voluntarily tested for COVID-19. He tested positive and went into self-quarantine,” Son’s agency Sidus HQ said. “All staff who came in contact with Son have been or will be tested.&rdq

April 23, 2021

Chamber music to celebrate Beethoven’s belated birthday

The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music will sing “Ode to Joy” to celebrate a belated 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, after the program was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spring festival last year was pushed back to the fall where they presented a non-Beethoven repertoire, as well as to observe the required social distancing measures. “This year, we will do what we could not do last year,” Kang Dong-suk, violinist and artistic

April 20, 2021

Daniel Barenboim cancels recital, citing quarantine rules

In the pandemic era, the mandatory two-week quarantine remains a great obstacle for the performing arts scene. Acclaimed conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim was slated to hold a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on May 19 to mark the release of his Deutsche Grammophon Beethoven piano sonata album. It was to have been his first piano recital in South Korea. But production agency Inarts Production announced Friday that the recital was canceled as Barenboim was not granted exemption from the

April 19, 2021

Weverse expands further with addition of Jeremy Zucker

Rising pop star Jeremy Zucker became the fourth foreign label artist to join Weverse, the fan community platform run by Hybe, on Monday. Zucker gained worldwide fame in 2018 with his song “comethru.” Thereafter, acoustic melodies and honest lyrics in his collaborations with American singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler that included “You were Good to Me,” “All the Kids are Depressed,” “Always, I’ll Care,“ among others, helped him build up a sol

April 19, 2021

Pianist Cho Seong-jin collaborates with German baritone on new album

Pianist Cho Seong-jin released a new album “Im Abendrot” -- meaning “at sunset” -- on Friday with German baritone Matthias Goerne, according to Universal Music‘s classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. The new album contains songs composed by three German composers of the Romantic era --Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869-1949), and Richard Strauss (1864-1949). “It’s almost impossible to describe the experience of explor

April 16, 2021

Avignon Festival to screen in Seoul

The LG Arts Center is to hold the Avignon Festival Cinema event from April 28 to May 2, screening some works from the famed performing arts festival based in the southern city of France. The festival, featuring innovative and experimental performing arts shows, garners some 500,000 attendees every summer. It is a prestigious performing arts event, considered alongside the Edinburgh Festival. The center will screen four signature pieces presented at the Avignon Festival, along with a work r

April 14, 2021

Osmo Vanska’s 2021 SPO season to begin with Sibelius

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director, Osmo Vanska, will deliver his first performance of the 2021 season Thursday and Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul. At this week’s performances, the orchestra will present Bartok’s “Dance Suite,” Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39, and Eotvos’ “Speaking Drums” for percussion solo and orchestra, featuring percussionist Bak Hye-ji, under the baton of Vanska. After p

April 13, 2021

‘DG violinist’ Kim Bomsori to hold solo recital in Korea

Violinist Kim Bomsori will go onstage in Korea in June to celebrate the upcoming release of her solo debut album under the classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. The recital on June 26 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul will be Kim’s first solo recital in the country in two years. In November, Kim became the third Korean artist to sign with Deutsche Grammophon, following pianist Cho Seung-jin and soprano Park Hye-sang. Her solo DG debut album “Violin on Stage” w

April 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Hybe, Ithaca Holdings ready for ‘quantum leap’

Amid the buzz caused by Hybe’s merger with Ithaca Holdings, key figures from the two companies expressed their excitement through a video released on YouTube Monday. Hybe, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, announced Friday it would acquire Ithaca Holdings and its properties, including SB Projects and its management clients Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. “Hybe has achieved continued growth by facing head-on new challenges that drive change such as the recent r

April 6, 2021

Pianist Son Yeol-eum set for nationwide tour

Virtuoso pianist Son Yeol-eum is set to embark on a 10-day tour this month. According to tour organizer Credia on Monday, the upcoming tour will kick off in Daejeon on April 15, followed by more recitals in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on April 16, Seoul April 17-18, Ulsan April 22 and Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, April 23. The tour will wrap up in Busan on April 24. In Seoul, Son will go on the stage at Nowon Culture & Arts Center on April 17 and Gangdong Arts Center on

April 5, 2021

Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival to be held in May

The 20th Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival is to take place May 7-16 throughout the city north of Seoul. This year’s theme, “Colorful Tradition,” highlights the unique value of traditional culture. The annual festival held in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, by the Uijeongbu Cultural Foundation, features performances that combine music and drama. Some 20 performances will be featured this year. Opening the 10-day festival is the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation pr

April 4, 2021

BTS agency Hybe to acquire Scooter Braun-led firm in W1tr deal

Hybe, the company behind K-pop phenomenons BTS, announced Friday a deal to buy a 100 percent stake in American music entrepreneur Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings. Under the deal, Hybe -- formerly Big Hit Entertainment -- will be acquiring the media company, which owns affiliates like SB Projects, founded by Ithaca chief executive Scott "Scooter" Braun and Big Machine Label Group, the company said in a statement. In a separate regulatory filing, the company said it plans to buy an ad

April 2, 2021