Contemporary Gugak Orchestra to revisit chamber music by leading composers

The Contemporary Gugak Orchestra under the National Gugak Center returns with a chamber music performance that features the musical works of six leading composers in Korean creative traditional music. "The Korean Composers Series" will be held on March 9, at Umyeondang of the National Gugak Center, located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The series selects the works of Korean composers who have helped shape contemporary gugak music traditions and provides a stage for reflection on the meaning and

Feb. 27, 2023

Jung Jae-il releases first Decca album 'Listen'

Jung Jae-il, 41, one of South Korea's best-regarded composers and music directors, released "Listen," his first album under Decca Records, on Friday. Jung earned his international reputation with his musical work for the critically acclaimed film “Parasite” as well as Netflix series “Squid Game.” He was recognized by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards for his work on “Squid Game.” The seven-track record conveys his message to pay attention to t

Feb. 24, 2023

Nine-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in Seoul for jazz concert in March

Nine-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is scheduled to perform on March 19 at LG Arts Center Seoul as part of the center's signature program CoMPAS23, a specially curated series of eight performances by top Korean and international artists. The American jazz musician is recognized for his wide range of techniques and genres, from classical to modern jazz as well as composition. Sharing the stage with Marsalis are pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Obed Calvari

Feb. 24, 2023

Changgeuk adaptation of 'Jeong-nyeon' offers what only live theater can

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea kicks off the 2023 season with a changgeuk adaptation of the hit webtoon series “Jeong-nyeon” from March 17 to March 29 at Daloreum Theater, the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. Based on the webtoon of the same title by Seo Ireh and Namon, the changgeuk follows Jeong-nyeon, a young actor-singer in the making who dreams of becoming the best "gukgeuk" performer in the the heyday of the performing art form in the 1950s. Gukgeuk, or &q

Feb. 23, 2023

Park Hae-soo returns to theater as Mephisto in 'Faust'

Actor Park Hae-soo is returning to the theater stage after sweeping the globe in Netflix’s “Squid Game,” “Money Heist” and “Narco-Saints.” Park plays Mephistopheles, or Mephisto the devil, in Goethe’s tragic play “Faust” slated to run at LG Arts Center Seoul, from March 31 to April 29. Before his fame in film and television after making a breakthrough performance in tvN’s “Prison Playbook,” Park had been a prolific sta

Feb. 22, 2023

World-renowned musicians debut experimental opera in Korea

International chamber ensemble Sejong Soloists will join hands with Joyce DiDonato, one of the world's most celebrated opera singers, to perform the Asian premiere of Tod Machover’s “Overstory Overture” in Seoul on March 16. “Overstory Overture” is inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, which explores the relationship between humans and nature. Machover, known for his innovative approach to music, said in a r

Feb. 22, 2023

NTCK starts new season with ‘Manseon’

The National Theater Company of Korea starts the 2023 season with realism drama “Manseon: The Yearning of a Fisherman” in March. The acclaimed play of depth and energy is slated to run at Myeongdong Theater from March 16 to April 9. Set in a small village on the southern coast, a fisherman named Gomchi harbors dreams of making a fortune with a boatload of fish -- white croakers specifically. However, he becomes penniless when the ship owner charges him extortionate rates of interest

Feb. 21, 2023

K-pop singer Eric Nam to headline Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s centennial show

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced South Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam will take the stage as the headline performer at the museum’s centennial celebration in May. The museum was established in 1923 with an initial collection by its founder Charles Lang Freer, of which the collection has grown to some 46,000 artworks. The museum became the first fine art museum to be part of a Smithsonian institution in Washington, DC in 1923. In celebration of the museu

Feb. 17, 2023

Korean plays, gugak musical and stand-up comedy at 2023 Adelaide Fringe

Four groups of Korean artists will perform at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest annual arts festivals, which starts on Thursday and runs until March 19. Held in Adelaide, Australia, the festival of performing arts draws more than 6,000 artists from around the globe. Around 2.7 million visitors enjoyed the festival in 2019. Two plays, one gugak musical and one stand-up comedy routine, are scheduled as part of the “Korean Season” segment of the

Feb. 16, 2023

Korea Improvised Music Festival to kick off next week

An improvised music festival exploring different genres, from traditional Korean to electronic music, kicks off at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Feb. 22. The Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, in collaboration with the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, will stage the first inaugural “Korea Improvised Music Festival” with musicians in various fields. The festival hopes to break down the boundaries of music genres, with its focus on traditional music. The main performance of the festival begins Fe

Feb. 15, 2023

Jeongdong Theater hopes to be cultural destination for all ages

The National Jeongdong Theater, a public performance hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, has unveiled its season line-up for this year, along with major initiatives for the 2023 season. “We will develop and promote performing arts of both the contemporary and traditional style, and for that we're preparing a wide variety of programs for not only enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s, but also for children and families, middle-aged and senior audiences,” said director Choung Soung-sook on Tuesday

Feb. 14, 2023

'Xcalibur' to be recreated with all-female cast in Japan

“Xcalibur,” a musical by the Korean musical company EMK, will be made into a Japanese version by the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe. The Japanese production will take to the stage from July 23 to Aug. 5 at Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall. The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female theater troupe founded in 1913 to attract tourists to Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Daiichi Inaba will direct “Xcalibur,” featuring actress Toa Serika and Haruno Sakura in the le

Feb. 13, 2023

Enjoy latest plays from UK, France and Netherlands at Haeoreum Theater

The National Theater of Korea will screen three plays in February and March as part of “NTOK Live+,” a program introducing prominent overseas theatrical performances. Three classic plays -- Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Moliere’s “Le Tartuffe ou l'Hypocrite” and Arthur Schnitzler’s “Professor Bernhardi” -- have been reinterpreted by the National Theatre in London, La Comedie Francaise in Paris and the International Theater

Feb. 12, 2023

[Herald Review] Beethoven vs. Beethoven: two takes on the great musician’s life vie for public and critical acclaim

Currently in Seoul, eight time zones from where Ludwig van Beethoven was born and died, two musicals inspired by the musician are taking place. With the exception of the source of inspiration, the two productions are like chalk and cheese. “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano” is a small-scale production in the off-off Broadway style, while “Beethoven: The Secret” is an extravagant production that takes place in a cavernous theater boasting 2,200 seats. The former, produced by Or

Feb. 11, 2023

[Rising Virtuosos] Cellist Han Jae-min, now done with competition, seeks to grow as musician

Cellist Han Jae-min, during the final stage of a competition in November last year, was 12 minutes and 50 seconds into Yun I-sang's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra when the thickest C string snapped. He stopped with a smile on his face, left the stage to restring his instrument and took to the stage again, picking up where he had left off, per competition rules. This happened once again about 13 minutes after Han had resumed playing. His face a bit tenser than the first time, but still wit

Feb. 11, 2023

National Dance Company of Korea presents surrealistic dance work 'The RoOm'

The National Dance Company of Korea returns with its surrealistic dance work first performed five years ago. “The RoOm,” which will run from March 2 to 4 at Daloreum Theater in Seoul, first premiered in 2018 in collaboration with choreographer and producer Kim Seol-jin. “The RoOm” centers on a space that is shared by many people and filled with memories left there, according to the NDCK. Kim, a contemporary dancer, pieced together the stories of eight NDCK dancers who he

Feb. 10, 2023

Cellist Yang Sung-won to head Music in Pyeongchang

Music in Pyeongchang, an annual music festival held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, has appointed cellist Yang Sung-won as its fourth artistic director, festival organizer Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation announced Thursday. Yang will lead the 20th edition of the music festival, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 5. Yang, a cello soloist and chamber musician who performs worldwide, has worked with renowned musicians, such as pianists Christoph Eschenbach and Pascal Devoyon, and comp

Feb. 9, 2023

TV actors Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min make theater debut with ‘Shakespeare in Love’

Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min and Chae Soo-bin play Viola De Lesseps in the Korean production of "Shakespeare in Love" by Kim Dong-yeon at Shownote, adapted from the 1998 film of the same title. The play premiered at the CJ Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center on Jan. 28. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the three actors said it was a dream come true to play the compelling character of a theater-lover who later becomes William Shakespeare's muse. Kim shared her first impressi

Feb. 8, 2023

Foreign pansori singers share their sounds, stories on stage

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, four pansori singers -- three foreign singers and their teacher Min Hye-sung -- performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Saturday. Min, a certified trainer of pansori, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 5, has been holding a month-long pansori workshop each year at Korean Cultural Centers across Europe since 2007. On the stage with Min on Saturday were her students Anna Yates-Lu from Ger

Feb. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] Top musical producer Shin Chun-soo sets sights beyond Korea

Shin Chun-soo, chief producer of OD Co., has been dealing with thyroid problems recently, a condition he described as even harder to deal with than his open-heart surgery two years ago. Shin confesses to being less and less stimulated by company. Once an extrovert, he has retreated to literature and musical books in his enduring search for inspiration. But when he talks about musicals and his upcoming projects in and outside Korea, his face lights up. Shin was originally a wannabe movie director

Feb. 3, 2023