TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The hosting of the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival may bring hope to the entire music performance scene, says the festival foundation’s new head Lee Yong-min. Lee has been appointed as CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, following the previous German CEO Florian Riem. “I have been part of this team for a long time. Not much has changed. But yes, I am learning that there are certain responsibilities tied to my post

People March 28, 2021

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- During the last week of March, the city of Tongyeong was covered in pink, with cherry blossoms at their peak and pink banners displayed across the city for the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival. The annual festival kicked off Friday under the title “Changing Reality.” Last year’s festival was canceled due to COVID-19 -- the first cancellation since the festival started in 2002. Though the virus continues to spread rapidly ac

Performance March 28, 2021

Hwadam Botanic Garden　 Hwadam Botanic Garden is to open its doors for the 2021 season Friday. The eco-friendly arboretum located at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, about an hour’s drive from central Seoul, is spread across 65,265 square meters, featuring 17 gardens with different themes. This year, the park will receive visitors who first make reservations online to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Hwadam Botanic Garden will remain open until late November.

Travel March 26, 2021

Conductor Chung Myung-whun is to return as a pianist for the first time in seven years. Chung is to release his second piano album in April and will hold recitals in Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province and Daegu. The album, featuring the late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, among others, will be released under the Deutsche Grammophon label. Though more familiar to the classical music audience as a conductor, Chung was the first Korean to win the joint-second place at the

Performance March 23, 2021

Composer Texu Kim is set to release his first album “Playful” Thursday, under classical music label Kreis Classic. The album consists of six works, performed by violinists Baek Ju-young and Kim Gye-hee, cellist Mun Tae-guk, pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy. Pianist Kim Jung-won participated in the recording as the producer. “I always compose works with the goal that the works should be fun,” Kim said at a press event held Monday in southern Seoul. “I want the fun to be

Performance March 23, 2021

The musical “Phantom” reveals another layer of the tragic, ghostly character who lives at the Paris Opera House, and who has stolen the hearts of many for ages.  Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom” -- long overshadowed by Andrew Lloyd Weber’s smash hit “The Phantom of the Opera” -- opened Wednesday in Seoul at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. The Korean-language version of the licensed musical, which features original mu

Performance March 22, 2021

Choreographer Ahn Eun-me has set out to uplift people’s spirits amid the COVID-19 pandemic with her latest project “Dragons,” which features a group of young dancers from across Asia. “Dragons” will go on stage at Yeongdeungpo Art Hall in western Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. For the piece, Ahn sought out Generation Z dancers, those born between 1996 to 2010. Having grown up in a world dominated by mobile technology, Ahn believes the Gen Z dancers are “d

Performance March 22, 2021

World-class violinist Chung Kyung-wha has abruptly called off several performances due to an injury in her left hand. The 73-year-old virtuoso violinist was to hold a solo recital on Saturday at Namdong Sorae Arts Hall in Incheon. The sell-out recital, however, was canceled on the day, following Chung’s injury. “The recital has been unfortunately canceled due to the artist’s left hand injury. We ask for the understanding of the audiences who have waited for the recital,&rd

Performance March 21, 2021

Though the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger, it is a good time of the year to leave the house, hit the road and explore the wilderness. South Gyeongsang Province, often represented by the metropolitan city of Busan, boasts more tourist destinations imbued with the beauty of local cultures, such as Jinju, Tongyeong, Namhae and more. Four hours by car from Seoul, the region is characterized by strong regional dialects and distinctive culinary cultures. There are also trails

Travel March 20, 2021

Hadong Tea Festival The 24th Hadong Tea Festival will be held online from May 15 to 23. The organizers of the festival discussed canceling the annual event due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they decided to hold the festival to promote the 2022 Handong World Tea Expo. To prevent spread of the virus, this year‘s festival will mainly feature contactless online programs with limited offline activities held across Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province. To hel

Travel March 19, 2021

Exhibition “Border-less.site,” co-hosted by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation and Junglim Foundation, opened to the public Wednesday at Culture Station Seoul 284, which is the old Seoul Station building. 　 The “Border-less.site” exhibition was developed as part of Culture Station Seoul 284’s regional research and exhibition initiative, following the “DMZ” and “Kaesong Industrial Complex” exhibitions in 2019 and 2018, respectively. T

Arts & Design March 17, 2021

The original French concert version of the musical “Les Miserables” will go onstage in South Korea on April 30 and run for about a month. The concert is inspired by the musical “Les Miserables,” adapted from Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of the same name. Since its French premiere in 1980, the musical has been performed in 44 countries before 70 million audience members. The concert version was staged in Seoul and Busan in 2019, and tickets were sold out for all per

Performance March 16, 2021

Though K-pop superstar band BTS failed to secure a Grammy with its latest single, “Dynamite,” the septet delivered an epic performance as the first South Korean act to perform at the music event. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were held Sunday night in Los Angeles in a hybrid format that featured pretaped performances. The septet’s single “Dynamite” -- the first single the group has performed entirely in English -- was nominated in the Pop Duo/Group Performance

Performance March 15, 2021

Third time’s the charm for violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill. The three-time Grammy nominee took home the award for the best classical instrumental solo for his recording of Christopher Theofanidis’ “Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra” in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday, local time. The recording was made under the baton of conductor David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. “This is a great day for the viola,” O’N

Performance March 15, 2021

Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival The Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival will be held online from April 1 to 16. The festival celebrates the legendary scholar Wang In from the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC-AD 668). An envoy to Japan, it is said that Wang introduced the Chinese writing system to the Japanese. Online lectures, quizzes and trot music shows will take place as part of the festival. For more information, check the website at wanginfesta.com. Okcheon Seedling Festival The Okcheon Seedling

Travel March 12, 2021