Musicals return to sold-out theaters

As musical productions return to the stage with the easing of social distancing rules for performing arts halls, shows featuring big names such as Ock Ju-hyun and Cho Seung-woo are sold out.  Of the first 25 performances in the Seoul run of “Wicked” from Feb. 12 to March 5, the shows featuring Ock and Jeong Seon-ah are already sold out. VIP tickets for shows featuring Ock, originally priced at 150,000 won ($134), are being resold illegally for up to 400,000 won on ticket res

Feb. 8, 2021

[Feature] Traditional music made hip

Gugak, traditional Korean music, is having a moment, buoyed by a growing appreciation from a wider audience both in and out of Korea. While a new generation of gugak artists have been breathing new life into the centuries-old genre over the past few years, outreach to a broader audience had eluded them in a country where contemporary music, especially K-pop, dominates. Recently, however, gugak has caught the attention of a broader audience with a wider spectrum of traditional music. Video gi

Feb. 8, 2021

Lim brothers to go onstage for first duo piano recital

Pianist brothers Lim Dong-hyek and Lim Dong-min are to hold a duo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on March 3 as part of their nationwide tour across Korea. The tour will kick off in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province on Feb. 20, followed by Daegu, Busan, Incheon, Jeju Island and Gwangju. The Seoul recital is held as part of the special gala concert ahead of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition. The first half will feature works by Chopin, while the piano duo will perform after

Feb. 6, 2021

4 dance works by Matthew Bourne to be streamed in March

The LG Arts Center will stream four never-before-seen works in Korea by celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne. The four pieces created by Bourne -- “The Red Shoes,” “The Car Man,” “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet” -- will be streamed in March, the arts center announced Tuesday. Bourne’s dance company New Adventures was to perform “The Red Shoes” in Korea last year at the LG Arts Center, but was later canceled due to the CO

Feb. 3, 2021

Spotify begins service in Korea without IU’s songs

The world’s largest music streaming platform Spotify on Tuesday announced the official launch of its service in Korea. “We’re looking forward to working even closer with the entire Korean music industry to uncover more artists and connect them with fans in Korea and the world, while also continuously working on providing an ever-improving, unrivaled listening experience to Korean listeners,” Alex Norstrom, Spotify’s chief freemium business officer, said in a state

Feb. 2, 2021

Musicals return to stage as social distancing measures are eased

The local culture scene is gearing up for a rebound, after the government announced eased social distancing rules, with a middle-seat vacancy restriction relaxed at performing art venues and cinemas. On Sunday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism informed local production companies and cinemas that two seats must be left vacant between each party or a seat should be left empty between each audience member under the Level 2.5 social distancing rules. The government initially required t

Feb. 1, 2021

NCSoft’s K-pop platform Universe kicks off globally

South Korean game maker NCSoft launched its K-pop entertainment platform Universe in 134 countries on Thursday. The all-in-one platform allows users to access exclusive content such as music videos, entertainment shows K-pop groups appear on and celebrity photos, while also allowing artists and fans to interact. Fans can also share their creations on the platform. One of the platform’s most noticeable features is a private messaging and call function powered by artificial intelligence

Jan. 29, 2021

Violinist Kim Dong-hyun to perform at Kumho Instrument Bank series recital

Violinist Kim Dong-hyun will kick off the 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series with a recital on Feb. 4 at the Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul. The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been running the Kumho Instrument Bank program since 1993, lending musical instruments to young artists through an open audition. The program currently owns 10 instruments, including a piano, cello and eight violins. It aims to allow up-and-coming artists to focus on their performances without worrying about

Jan. 29, 2021

BTS agency Big Hit to invest W70b in K-pop giant YG

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind global star BTS, announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest 70 billion won ($63 million) in YG Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop agencies in South Korea. Under the deal, Big Hit and its affiliate beNX will invest 30 billion won and 40 billion won, respectively, in YG affiliate YG Plus, the agency said in a press release following a board meeting. With the investment, Big Hit and beNX will 7.7 percent and 10.2 percent stakes, respectively, in

Jan. 27, 2021

Original musicals to light up stage in February

Though the theater scene is still suffering as a result of the social distancing rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the month of February may be a turning point as a number of original South Korean musicals are lined up for premieres.   “The Adventure of the Final Problem” is slated to run Feb. 15 to May 9 at the Dream Arts Center. 　 The production tells the story of British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attained huge success with his “Sherlock Holmes&rdquo

Jan. 27, 2021

Studio for virtual music, drama performances to open in Seoul

With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the art industry to shift online, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to launch a studio for online streaming in central Seoul to make way for virtual performances. The former Namsan Creative Center, which shut down last year, will be turned into a new studio for production and streaming of virtual art performances. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the new studio will officially open in April 2022 after a test period. The studio will be eq

Jan. 26, 2021

Cinema closures in S. Korea hit 12-year high in 2020 on coronavirus

The number of cinema closures soared to a 12-year high in 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, data showed Tuesday. A total of 81 movie theaters closed shop across the nation last year, nearly double from the 43 shutdowns a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The number was the largest annual tally since 2008, when 88 cinemas in Asia's fourth-largest economy went out of business amid the US-originated global financial crisis. In the Seoul

Jan. 26, 2021

Pianist Cho Seong-jin to play 94-second of never-before-heard Mozart

Pianist Cho Seong-jin is set to perform the world premiere of a previously unknown work by Mozart, 248 years after it was composed, in celebration of the great musician’s 265th birthday. Cho will perform Mozart’s Allegro in D major K626b/16 as part of the Digital Mozart Week organized by the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation on Wednesday, in Austria, according to German classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon. The performance will be streamed through the label’s streami

Jan. 24, 2021

For fans who missed ‘Nutcracker,’ ballet scene set for rebound in 2021

Korea’s recent third wave of COVID-19 had local ballet troupes cancel the iconic “Nutcracker” performances in December, for the first time in many years. Though the virus pandemic dealt a serious blow last year, ballet companies are gearing up for a rebound this year for fans awaiting a new beginning in 2021. The highlight of this year’s seven offerings by The Korea National Ballet is “Jewels,” slated for Oct. 20-24 at the Seoul Arts Center. It will mark th

Jan. 20, 2021

National theater troupe aims to establish online screening model like NT Live

The National Theater Company of Korea plans to interact with audiences at home through online screenings of high-quality productions in these COVID-19 pandemic times. Kim Kwang-bo, the new artistic director of the state-run company, said in an online conference Monday that the company‘s online screenings would be systematized, offering performances of a high caliber. Kim took office in November for a three-year term. An established stage director, Kim was previously head of the Seoul Met

Jan. 18, 2021

K-pop stars to launch new K-pop acts in 2021

Big names in K-pop are launching new K-pop bands this year, promising a fresh crop of talented musicians.  Singers Psy and Park Jin-young will serve as judges in an upcoming SBS audition show “Loud,” selecting members for new K-pop bands which will be managed by their respective entertainment agencies. “I hope (the contenders) are like me when I was young and crazy about something -- even though it may not be music. This may be the start of the 21st century version of

Jan. 15, 2021

Pianists make their way to podium

After months of perseverance, pianist Sunwook Kim finally made his formal debut as a conductor Tuesday, following in the footsteps of the great maestros before him. Amid a heavy snowfall that hit the greater Seoul area, Kim took the baton at Lotte Concert Hall, leading the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Kim’s concert with the KBS Symphony Orchestra was initially set to be held in December, but was postponed to January due to the spike in the number of coronavirus cases across Korea. The postp

Jan. 13, 2021

Korea Musical Awards recognizes ‘Marie Curie’ with four awards

Musical “Marie Curie” won four awards at the Korea Musical Awards held Monday, recognized as an outstanding original Korean musical production. 　 Presented by the Korea Musical Theater Association, the annual awards ceremony, the largest of its kind in Korea, was held at the Blue Square culture complex in Seoul. Featuring star stage actor Ock Ju-hyun, “Marie Curie” won the grand prize, as well as awards for best director, best script, and best music composition. It had

Jan. 12, 2021

Gamut of classical music in store for 2021

Though the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is yet to be resolved, the classical music scene is filled with high hopes for 2021, waiting to welcome audiences back to concert halls.　 Pianist Kim Sun-wook kicked the year off with a solo recital Monday. Initially slated for March 2020, the recital had been postponed three times due to surges of COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, Kim will go on the stage with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, making his conducting debut, followed by a recital with celebrated veteran

Jan. 11, 2021

Performing arts expands beyond stage

With the COVID-19 pandemic requiring a paradigm shift for survival, the local performing arts scene is striving to produce shows fit for the screen beyond just the stage. In the earlier stages of the pandemic, the performing arts scene tried to stay connected with audiences at home by streaming performances online. Limitations existed, however, as the productions were originally created for the stage, not mobile devices or TVs. Nevertheless, as the pandemic has been with us for nearly a year

Jan. 9, 2021