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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Show must go on -- even if it means waiting extra two weeks
Overseas-based artists are continuing to perform onstage in Korea, even if it means going through the two-week self-quarantine periods. Though rules on overseas travel have lately been relaxed -- allowing essential overseas trips -- still, crossing borders at a time like this is not easy. Many performances across the world have been canceled, with artists unable to travel around the way they used to. Here in Korea, some performances with foreign artists are carrying on, as the artists have b
July 3, 2020
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Virus-hit performing arts scene faces grim prospects for H2
The South Korean performing arts sector has gradually returned to life after a monthslong slump, but the lingering novel coronavirus pandemic is casting a dark cloud over the scene for the remainder of 2020. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS) on Thursday, aggregate ticket sales of musicals, theatrical plays, classical concerts and other performances reached 95.24 billion won ($79.3 million) in the first six months of the year. The system is managed by
July 3, 2020
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Int’l tour of ‘Cats’ to hit Seoul stage in September
Though the global musical scene has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international tour production of “Cats” will go on stage from Sept. 9 to Nov. 8 at the Charlotte Theater in eastern Seoul. “Cats” is a musical created by iconic composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and producer Cameron Mackintosh, inspired by the 1939 poetry collection “Old Possum‘s Book of Practical Cats” by T. S. Eliot. The musical has won numerous awards, including the
July 1, 2020
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Overseas-based Korean dancers put on gala shows
Overseas-based Korean dancers wrapped up the 10th Ballet Festival Korea with gala shows over weekends at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. A total of 10 prominent overseas Korean dancers gathered for the gala shows. Most of them were initially unable to participate in the shows due to the tight schedules of their ballet troupes. After the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, however, the seasons were canceled, allowing them to return to Korea and perform onstage. “I wrote about going
June 28, 2020
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Pianist Kim Kwang-min to hold solo recital in August
Pianist Kim Kwang-min is to hold a solo recital for the first time in three years. According to production agency Credia’s announcement Thursday, Kim will perform Aug. 15 at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. Kim, whose repertoire encompasses jazz, new age and classical music and whose work is often featured in films and dramas, graduated from the Berklee College of Music and has worked with numerous K-pop musicians such as Yoon Jong-shin and IU. The upcoming show
June 27, 2020
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Blackpink's new song tops iTunes charts in 60 nations
K-pop girl group Blackpink's latest song ranked No. 1 on iTunes charts in 60 nations, its management agency said Saturday, a day after the release of "How You Like That." The number of countries where the song topped the charts represents an all-time high for a South Korean girl group. The song also dominated two major Asian music streaming services -- Line Music of Japan and QQ Music of China -- according to YG Entertainment. Blackpink's fresh music video has also drawn explosive
June 27, 2020
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[Eye Interview] Journeying the world on wings of music
This year was to have been my “big” travel year. The ambitious plan included two weeks in Tuscany, basking in the autumn sun and sauntering the streets of Florence. Having decided on the destination, I followed Instagram pictures of Italy in all their golden and azure glory, and had Rai Radio Tutta Italiana as background noise, the music on the Italian radio station transporting me thousands of miles away to a place that sounded full of life and joy. I served panettone on Christma
June 26, 2020
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[Herald Review] ‘Mozart!’ sings of miracle
The curtain went up on the musical “Mozart!” amid tears. The show depicts the great maestro as an ordinary human being that the modern audience can easily relate to. The musical, written by celebrated duo Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) as a fragile being trapped by his childhood. Though a grown man, Mozart is consistently haunted by Amade, the personification of his genius. Though Mozart is an 18th century figure, the musical
June 23, 2020
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Gugak performed against backdrop of Korean calligraphy show
The National Theater of Korea is collaborating with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), featuring contemporary gugak performances held against the backdrop of Korean calligraphy. The 2020 Yeowoorak Festival, an annual festival of traditional Korean music organized by the National Theater of Korea, is to kick off on July 3, featuring 12 performances over its 23-day run. Since March, the MMCA Seoul has been hosting its first calligraphy exhibition, titled “The
June 22, 2020
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Second show in Sejong Center’s Contemporary S project looks at fine line between art and prank
In his upcoming contemporary dance show, dancer and choreographer Kim Seol-jin offers a close look at the fine line between art and prank. Kim, who is well known for his modern dance works and has also appeared in many musicals, films and dramas, is to present his latest work at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, July 15-19. The show, “Japari,” is part of the theater’s Contemporary S project, launched last year with ballerina Kim Ju-wo
June 20, 2020
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BTS' 'Stay Gold' sweeps global iTunes charts
K-pop group BTS' "Stay Gold," the lead track on the upcoming Japanese album, has topped global iTunes charts in more than 80 countries, the band's management agency Big Hit Entertainment said Saturday. The song, sung in Japanese, ranked No. 1 on the Top Songs chart in 82 countries, including the United States, Britain, Brazil and India, the company said in a release. The agency released the song prior to the official release of the full-length album. It is yet
June 20, 2020
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High-profile female comebacks to cap off H1 K-pop release calendar
Leading female voices in K-pop today are gearing up for comebacks later this month, closing off the first half of the K-pop industry's 2020 release calendar largely shaken up by the new coronavirus pandemic. Solo artist Sunmi plans to make a comeback with her new single, "Pporappippam," on June 29. The song marks Sunmi's first new material in 10 months since her hit single "Lalalay" from last year. For her new song, the ex-Wonder Girls member partnered with DJ and pro
June 20, 2020
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[Herald Review] SPO holds in-person concert after four-month pause
Returning to the stage after a four month virus-mandated absence, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s reunion with its audience was full of emotion for both sides. The SPO performed “Related Giants – Mahler & Sibelius” at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul on Thursday. It was the first time the SPO had performed in front of a live audience since February. Though the concert had been much anticipated, the concert hall was relatively empty, as the SPO limited the nu
June 19, 2020
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Clara Jumi Kang, Son Yeol-eum to go on Korean tour in September
Violinist Clara Jumi Kang and pianist Son Yeol-eum are to embark on a tour of South Korea in September. The seven-city tour will run Sept. 2-10 and take them to Jeju, Suwon, Goyang, Daegu and more. It will mark the two virtuosos’ first performances together in four years. Having attended the Korea National University of Arts together, the two debuted as a duo at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2012. They held a national tour in 2013, followed by another in 2016 celebrating the release
June 17, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Violinist to go on music journey with Bach, Ysaye
A violinist will perform the solo repertoires of Bach and Ysaye, to take the audience on a “music trip” to Europe in July. Violinist Lim Ji-young, 25, will present the unaccompanied violin sonatas by Bach and Ysaye at central Seoul’s Seoul Anglican Cathedral on July 1 and the Seosomun Shrine History Museum on July 11. Lim rose to stardom in the classical music scene as the first Korean violinist to win the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium. Since then,
June 16, 2020
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Performing arts scene gears up for post-coronavirus era
Though no one is sure when the current coronavirus crisis will end, things will never be the same again for the performing arts scene, which has come to a near-complete halt for the past few months. The global performing arts scene has suffered a major blow, as virus containment measures severely restrict gatherings in enclosed spaces. Even the most prestigious performing art venues, including Broadway in New York and the West End in London, have had to shut down. Numbers prove the impact
June 14, 2020
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K-pop, K-classic team up
Collaboration is in the works between K-pop and K-classic. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and S.M. Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to spread K-pop and K-classic worldwide by creating content that is not defined by a single genre. Lee Sung-soo, co-CEO of S.M. Entertainment, and Kang Eun-kyung, CEO of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, signed the memorandum, marking the first time a leading orchestra has joined hands with an entertainment company. This is also the
June 13, 2020
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Stradeum to hold offline concert for audience of 30
Music concert hall operator Stradeum announced Thursday that it will hold the “Stage 30” concert series from June 16 to July 10 jointly with performance-planning company United Producers. The Stradeum, a 100-seat venue, will only seat 30 concertgoers to comply with social distancing guidelines. Stradeum added that everyone in the audience must go through temperature checks and wear masks. “This concert is part of the musician’s process to find ways to meet with audienc
June 11, 2020
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Festival to show ‘here and now’ of Korean music
The annual Yeowoorak Festival, a gugak-themed festival organized by the National Theater of Korea, is to kick off on July 3, featuring 12 performances over 23 days. This year’s festival, titled after an abbreviation for the Korean sentence meaning “our music (gugak) is here,” will focus on the “here and now” of gugak, with an emphasis on the expansion of the traditional music genre. Cheolhyeongeum (steel-stringed zither) player and percussionist Yoo Kyeong-hwa,
June 9, 2020
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‘Phantom’ to sing at MMCA
The international tour production of musical “The Phantom of the Opera” is to collaborate with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), sharing an online performance by its lead actors singing iconic numbers from the musical in front of the MMCA Seoul. The live outdoor performance will be streamed online Friday on MMCA’s YouTube channel and local video sharing platform Naver TV. The three lead actors will sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Agai
June 8, 2020