Wu Wei, a renowned soloist of the traditional Chinese mouth-organ sheng, will hit the stage Friday night as part of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s two-day “Ars Nova” contemporary music concert series. The 4,000-year-old woodwind folk instrument is a rare sight in today’s music scene, with an equally rare-sounding instrumental pitch to match. “The sounds of the sheng are very mysterious and the skills it takes to play this instrument are not something that can easily be explained,” said SPO compo

Performance Oct. 28, 2015

Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra’s guest conductor Chung Myung-whun (Matthias Creutziger)Following a number of world-class ensembles that have graced the Seoul stage this year, the month of November promises to be a much-welcomed continuation of some of the classical music world’s best.  The Seoul Arts Center is gearing up to play host to three of Germany’s oldest and celebrated orchestras -- the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

Performance Oct. 28, 2015

Recognized as one of Spain’s most distinguished international conductors, maestro Juanjo Mena and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage Wednesday night at the Seoul Arts Center bringing to life the sounds of Britten, Sibelius and Schubert, while also delighting the audience with the evening’s highlight: special guest soloist Viktoria Mullova.  Opening up its return performance in Korea after more than seven years, the orchestra performed Benjamin Britten’s buoyant Simple Symphony, Op.

Performance Oct. 22, 2015

Psy, Big Bang and TVXQ are among the five acts that best represent K-pop, according to a recent survey on the nation’s best hallyu content of all time. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, which released the poll Tuesday, the remaining two in the top five K-pop acts are Girls’ Generation and BoA; while the list for most popular Korean TV dramas and shows to-date are: “Jewel in the Palace,” “Winter Sonata,” “My Love from the Star,” “Autumn in My Heart” and reality TV show “Running Man.

Culture Oct. 20, 2015

YB, one of the country’s most iconic rock bands, will be celebrating 20 years of rocking with the release of new single “20-years,” as well as by holding four concerts in Seoul later this month. 　“It has not been an easy ride and many bands do not make it this far, so this is a very special feat,” said band leader and vocalist Yoon Do-hyun during a press conference held at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul on Tuesday.With Yoon at the helm over the past two decades, YB has not only solidified its name as o

Performance Oct. 7, 2015

Continuing the efforts to vamp up its public image by reaching out to the community, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra opened up its rehearsal studio Tuesday night for the second time this year. Tickets to the rehearsal were sold out, as the SPO welcomed 45 members of the public to the orchestra’s practice room to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the maestro conducts a rehearsal session. This concept of public education and involvement has been used by other orchestras spanning the globe, s

Performance Oct. 7, 2015

Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled. Most commonly made with napa cabbage, geotjeori goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (a warm noodle soup) and barbecued meat.Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor

Food Oct. 2, 2015

An elderly Yi woman, who belongs to one of the biggest ethnic minority groups in Yunnan, wears a traditional Yi costume for a dance performance. (Claire Lee /The Korea Herald)YUNNAN PROVINCE, China -- While it may not be home to the Forbidden City or the Oriental Pearl Tower, China’s southwest province of Yunnan is where one can get a glimpse of one of the most unique and culturally rich sides of the country.The location of Yunnan, which means “the place of the colorful clouds in the south” in C

Travel Oct. 2, 2015

Enjoy autumn at Taebaek ForestLocated 700 meters above sea level, tourists can enjoy the autumn breeze and landscape at the Taebaek Highland Natural Recreational Forest in Taebaek, Gangwon Province.The Korea Tourism Organization said that, beginning in October, visitors to the recreational forest will be able to see firsthand the change of season to autumn. The fall comes to Gangwon Province before any other part of South Korea.Travelers can not only enjoy fresh air but also take long walks in t

Travel Oct. 2, 2015

Enjoy Kensington Jeju Hotel’s activity programsThe Kensington Jeju Hotel is presenting various activity programs to maximize the excitement of autumn on Jejudo Island. Guests opting for the Luxury All-Inclusive Package will be able to choose from activity programs such as Green Tea Farm Tour and Gotjawal Trekking.Picnic with Autumn Scent is a program for an exciting outing to an animal farm and Saebyeol Orum for a trekking course -- with the beautiful scenery of Muscanthus, as also known as silv

Food Oct. 2, 2015

A promotional image of the upcoming Korea-France collaboration performance piece, “Beautiful Escape: Emergency Exit,” which will be held as part of the 2015 Hi Seoul Festival lineup on Oct. 2 and 3 at the Seoul Museum of Art and the Cheonggye Plaza, respectively. (Hi Seoul Festival)This year’s Hi Seoul Festival will highlight more than 50 acts and street performances, including eight acts invited from overseas. Under the theme of “Let’s play on the street,” the festival is being held from Oct. 1

Performance Sept. 30, 2015

Yang Yo-seob of the boy band Beast plays Prince Christopher in the ongoing musical production of “Cinderella.” (Showholic)One of the world’s most recognized and enchanting fairy tales, “Cinderella” has now taken center stage as one of Korea’s newest musical productions. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the Broadway hit musical has made its way to Seoul for the first time. Hammerstein’s original Broadway show made a grand debut on the musical scene in 2013, receiv

Performance Sept. 29, 2015