Conductor Sung Shi-yeon is looking forward to exciting debuts in the European classical music scene during the 2021-22 season. On Nov. 5, Sung is to make her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra based in Amsterdam with a world premiere by Tan Dun and works by Bartok, Verbey and Yun I-sang. Initially, Oscar- and Grammy-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun was to hoist the baton for the premiere of his new work with the RCO. However, the orchestra has replaced him with Sung as Tan Dun is

Performance Oct. 8, 2021

Though clarinet is often placed toward the back of the stage during orchestral performances, clarinetist Kim Han, 25, has been bringing the wind instrument into the spotlight. Over the past few weeks, Kim has been performing in Korea, going onstage for an orchestral performance and solo recitals here. “After I won the second prize at the ARD International Music Competition 2019, there were some performances scheduled in Korea last year. But nearly all of them were postponed to this yea

Performance Oct. 7, 2021

Daniel Cho, a 27-year-old Korean American violinist, has been appointed as concertmaster at the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. String ensemble Sejong Soloists announced Wednesday that Cho had been selected as the concertmaster of the orchestra through an audition attended by the orchestra members and conductor Kent Nagano. The orchestra based in Hamburg, Germany was founded in 1828. Nagano has been leading the orchestra as its chief conductor since September 2015. The American conduct

Performance Oct. 6, 2021

The Vienna Philharmonic and maestro Riccardo Muti are to take the stage in Korea as part of the orchestra’s Asian tour, which includes Japan and China. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced Tuesday the orchestra is to go onstage at the theater on Nov. 14, led by the Italian maestro Muti. Prior to the concerts in Korea, the orchestra will tour across Japan from Nov. 3 to 12. After the engagements here, the orchestra continues on in China with concerts scheduled from Nov. 1

Performance Oct. 5, 2021

The biblical story of Samson and Delilah will get a major reinterpretation at the upcoming performance presented by the Korea National Opera in October, as the set moves from Biblical Gaza to 1938 Nazi Germany. The KNO is to stage opera “Samson and Delilah,” Oct. 7-10, at the Seoul Arts Center, commemorating the 100th anniversary since the death of Saint-Saens. It will be the first time in 40 years that the state opera company has gone onstage with the opera work. This time, the

Performance Oct. 5, 2021

The Universal Ballet Company is to stage “Giselle” at the Seoul Arts Center from Oct. 29-31. The classic ballet is one of the most well-known and widely performed works of the Romantic era. Adolphe Adam wrote the music. Most performances of “Giselle” use the choreography staged by ballet legend Marius Petipa. It tells the story of a young peasant girl named Giselle. She falls in love with Albrecht, a nobleman in disguise. After learning that Albrecht has betrayed he

Performance Oct. 1, 2021

The local culture scene has continued to protest the nomination of Ahn Ho-sang as the new head of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Some artists and art groups held a protest Thursday in front of the art center in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, calling for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to withdraw the nomination of Ahn as the new CEO of the city-funded art center, citing the blacklist scandal.　 “Ahn is deeply involved in the blacklist scandal. The investigation shows that he is an assail

Culture Sept. 30, 2021

Korea Art Week 2021, organized by the Culture Ministry’s Korea Arts Management Service, will take place Oct. 7-17 and feature local art exhibitions and events. A total of 17 art tours prepared by different institutions will be available this year, allowing groups of up to 10 people to enjoy guided tours of art galleries as well as public and private art museums with curators. Some 21 art institutions selected through an open competition will present “Beyond Exhibition,” a

Arts & Design Sept. 29, 2021

With the local performing art scene preparing for the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pianist Andras Schiff is to go onstage in Korea with a series of performances, from solo concerts to a four hands piano recital. Classical pianist Schiff who has received numerous awards, including Grammy and Grammophon awards, the Bartok Prize and the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, is to hold multiple performances in Korea in October.　 Schiff will hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center in s

Performance Sept. 27, 2021

The final rounds of the first KSO International Conducting Competition will take place in November with the 12 finalists confirmed on Monday. The competition, launched this year by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Arts Center, to find and support young conductors across the world, has rounded up the 12 finalists. The final rounds are slated to be held from Nov. 10 to 14 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Some 166 contenders from 42 countries applied for the competition, a

Performance Sept. 27, 2021

The new head of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is likely to be a CJ vice president who led the company’s marketing strategy for the Bibigo brand. According to a report by Kookmin Ilbo Monday, the committee in charge of appointing a new head for the orchestra has decided on Sohn Eun-kyung, the executive vice-president at CJ CheilJedang. An announcement on the CEO appointment is expected soon, an SPO official told The Korea Herald. Since Kang Eun-kyung stepped down as president and CEO

People Sept. 27, 2021

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off its third and final season of 2021 with Japanese-German conductor Erina Yashima and clarinetist Kim Han. The SPO will hold concerts on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul under the baton of Yashima. It is the first time for Yashima, assistant conductor at the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2019, to lead the Seoul-based orchestra. Under her lead, the orchestra will present Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin,&rdqu

Performance Sept. 24, 2021

As the Netflix drama series “Squid Game” has become a worldwide sensation, a number of people have come forward claiming that they are receiving endless calls and text messages after the show featured a phone number.　　 In the show, an unnamed character, played by actor Gong Yoo, gives Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae) a business card, asking him to join the Squid Game contest. In the competition, 456 contenders compete for the prize money, risking their lives. The business card has an eight-

Television Sept. 24, 2021

The Korean government will push for the expansion of the exhibition hall for Korean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Culture Minister Hwang Hee on Thursday said the government will look into expanding the Arts of Korea Gallery at the renowned museum at a press event held with New York correspondents. “The director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggested moving the Arts of Korea Gallery,” Hwang said at the meeting, following the visit to the museum wit

Arts & Design Sept. 23, 2021

With the upcoming presidential election set for March, presidential hopefuls are going on reality TV programs to show their more personal sides in an attempt to woo voters. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a major presidential contender from the People’s Power Party, starred in an episode of SBS’ reality show “Master in the House” which aired on Sunday, giving the show hosts a tour of his home and cooking for them. “I asked (the hosts) to come to cook

Television Sept. 22, 2021