[Herald Review] Theater turns into barbecue eatery in ‘Table for One’

The sound, smell and sight of sizzling meat on grill had the audience’s stomach growling during the play “Table for One” at the Doosan Art Center. The play features main character O In-yong who is left to eat by herself, unable to get along with her colleagues. In order to eat alone well, she takes lessons on how to eat alone at a private institute.  Plastic bags where diners place their coats and jackets at barbecue restaurants to prevent the odor of grilled meat fro

May 11, 2020

COVID-19 seating guidelines stand in way of musicals

Some musical productions are finding it difficult to reopen as performance venues comply strictly with government guidelines requiring a seat between audience members to be left vacant so that they can be seated in a zigzag configuration. This seating arrangement was emphasized after the government on April 19 announced guidelines for relaxed social distancing. Although such a seating configuration is only recommended, performing arts centers, including Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul,

May 10, 2020

’90s music is back, across generational divide

Young artists are repopularizing songs from the ’90s as part of a newtro trend that has hit the music scene, along with a wide range of other industries in South Korea, influencing tastes in beverages, fashion and games. Spearheading the newtro music trend is the soundtrack from the popular tvN drama series “Hospital Playlist,” which has released songs from each of its episodes. “Hospital Playlist” centers on five doctors in their 40s who have been friends since

May 9, 2020

Performances resume as strict social distancing relaxed

As the spread of the new coronavirus continues to slow in South Korea, the nation has switched to a new strategy stressing disease prevention in everyday life, allowing national theaters and arts troupes to return to their normal routines.　 Five state-run performance venues -- the National Theater of Korea, National Gugak Center, Jeongdong Theater, Myeongdong Theater and Asia Culture Center -- that were shut down in late February will all resume operations, according to the Ministry of Culture

May 6, 2020

Theaters prepare to raise curtains again

After an involuntary two-month break, the performing arts scene is gearing up to get back on track while taking precautions against the new coronavirus. A total of 24 national cultural institutions have closed since late February. Private institutions were shut down in past weeks, too.  Now that the number of new cases has dropped and South Korea is on the verge of going back to its normal routines, performing arts institutions and troupes are planning to resume their activities Wednesd

May 3, 2020

New annual classical music fest to add to the calendar

A new classical music festival is coming to town, in the usually slow summer season. The Lotte Foundation for Arts is to host classical music festival Classic Revolution 2020 Beethoven in August.  On Monday, the Lotte Foundation announced plans to host an annual classical music festival, Classic Revolution, featuring diverse offerings from recitals and chamber music to concertos and symphonies. The festival will highlight a single composer each year, with the inaugural year dedicated t

April 28, 2020

Enjoy Jarasum ‘online’ jazz festival at home

An online version of the country’s biggest jazz festival will be livestreamed May 8-11, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic keeps jazz fans at home. Dubbed the Jarasum Online Alright Jazz Festival, the organizers of Jarasum International Jazz Festival said that it will be the first local music festival to be streamed online. The event aims to offer performance opportunities to local jazz musicians who have been struggling with the virus crisis, and also to encourage the stagnant performan

April 27, 2020

Pianist Cho Seong-jin’s recital to be streamed on YouTube

Pianist Cho Seong-jin will share his solo recital with the global audiences online from Berlin. According to label Deutsche Grammophon, Cho’s solo recital will be held at the Meistersaal, a historic concert hall in Berlin. The recital, conducted without the actual presence of audiences, will be streamed via DG’s YouTube channel on Saturday.  The exact program has not been revealed yet, but will include works from his upcoming album, and often presented repertoires. The re

April 24, 2020

[Herald Interview] Cho Seong-jin returns as ‘Wanderer’

Pianist Cho Seong-jin, 26, is due to release a new album titled “The Wanderer” on May 8. As the fourth album to be released under the Deutsche Grammophon label, it includes Schubert’s Fantasy in C major, D, 760, known as the Wanderer Fantasy; Berg’s Piano Sonata, Op. 1; and Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor, S 178.   The central work in the album -- as is hinted in the title -- is the Wanderer Fantasy written by Franz Schubert in 1822. The piano sonata is known

April 23, 2020

Musicals, theatrical plays resume on softened social distancing

Some blockbuster musicals and theatrical plays, which have been on hold for weeks due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, have resumed onstage performances as social distancing guidelines were eased in South Korea. The musical "The Phantom of the Opera," which has been suspended since April 1 as two of its cast members were confirmed with COVID-19, will reopen its Seoul run from Thursday at Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul. "We've checked health conditions of our acto

April 23, 2020

Dr. Lee, pioneer of Korean ‘Techno-trot,’ comes back

Dr. Lee, a pioneer of Korean “Techno-trot,” is making a comeback. Lee Yong-seok, also known as Monkey Magic or Epaksa, was born in 1954 and widely regarded as a leading figure concerning the fusion music genre that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.  While some people downplay his trot music with speedy tempo, experts have a different idea. Jeong Jae-hoon, CEO of Big Daddy Entertainment, who has arranged the comeback of Dr. Lee, said the singer added a new page to the h

April 22, 2020

Kim Sun-wook’s concerts canceled, Sunwoo Yekwon on track for May shows

Though the performing arts scene has been gearing up to get back into the groove as the number of COVID-19 cases drops, concerts remain canceled in April. Pianist Kim Sun-wook’s concerts with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in April have been canceled. Kim, a Beethoven specialist, was to perform with the SPO on April 24 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul.   The program was to include Haydn’s Symphony No. 102 in B flat major Hob. I: 102, Beethoven’s Piano Concer

April 21, 2020

K-pop stars open new chapter in careers with musicals

K-pop stars often make the most of their fame by venturing into a diverse range of second careers, such as acting or business. In recent years, more and more K-pop stars’ names are appearing on the cast lists of major musical productions as idols establish themselves in the highly popular musical scene. Initially, K-pop stars who landed major roles in musicals were met with hostility, as it was feared that musical actors -- actors trained specifically in the genre -- could lose out to big

April 21, 2020

Pengsoo to release first digital single featuring Tiger JK

Pengsoo, the popular costumed penguin character from educational television channel EBS, collaborated with rapper Tiger JK to release his first digital single. On Friday, EBS announced the release of Pengsoo’s digital single, “Billboard Project Vol. 1” at 6 p.m. on April 21. Artists Tiger JK, Bizzy and BiBi featured in the song that has both rapping elements and yodeling elements. “Working with Pengsoo! It was an honor lol,” posted Tiger JK on is Instagram on Tue

April 17, 2020

‘Phantom of Opera’ to resume from April 23

The Seoul run of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” which was suspended after its cast members were confirmed with COVID-19, will resume on April 23. On March 31, a Canadian ensemble cast member was confirmed with the virus infection. Two days later, her colleague, an American actor, also tested positive. The production initially decided to halt the musical shows until April 14 but delayed it further after the second infection. Before confirmed as having the coronavirus , t

April 17, 2020

Coronavirus threatens Hongdae indie music scene

The indie music scene in Hongdae is struggling to stay afloat as concerts and festivals are delayed or canceled amid strict social distancing. While major music labels are better able to endure long-term losses, allowing musicians to concentrate on their next albums, small labels and clubs that rent out venues to bands are suffering to the point where their very existence is under threat. “We had zero profit. What worries us the most is not now but what is about to come. Usually from la

April 15, 2020

Lights go out at Daehangno

Daehangno, an area of Seoul that is home to numerous small theaters, has been hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as theaters have been shut down in compliance with the government’s social distancing program. The Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, managed by the Korea Arts Management Service affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, showed a sharp drop in ticket sales following the outbreak of the virus.   According to the data, ticket sale

April 14, 2020

Improvisation dance festival kicks off April 21

The 20th Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival is to take place this month, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year, as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus, the festival’s performances and workshops will be held separately.  Shows will be staged April 21-26 at the Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno, central Seoul. Workshops will take place June 28-30 at the Dancers’ Career Development Center in the same area. As a safety measure, only 40 percent

April 13, 2020

Coming to you live from an empty concert hall

Lately, online streaming has become the norm in the performing arts scene, with more artists playing to empty concert halls while the shows are livestreamed. Kumho Art Hall Yonsei, run by the Kumho Asiana Culture Foundation, has joined in the trend, livestreaming two violinists’ performances online. Though the art hall has always streamed its recitals online, the musicians had never before played to an empty concert hall. Kim Dong-hyun, a 2020 Kumho Rising Star, performed Thursday at

April 12, 2020

Antenna to hold relay live stream, ‘Everything is OK’

Musicians of Antenna Music will hold a live stream concert for fans stuck at home due to the spread of COVID-19. Antenna music posted an official poster for the event on its social media page Sunday announcing the line-up for the event. “Everything is OK, with Antenna” will be held for four days on April 11, 12, 18 and 19 starting at 8 p.m. on its official YouTube channel. The online music festival will feature all 11 artists of Antenna starting with Toy (Yoo Hee-yeol) and Lee Jin

April 8, 2020