Hoping to appeal to a wider range of audiences, the local classical music scene has been engaging in more barrier-breaking opportunities. Though classical music performances are often associated with formal attire, rigid expressions and stiff audiences, more artists and institutions are trying to embrace the latest trends with an aim to open the genre to wider audiences. Classical music festival Hic et Nunc! -- hosted by the Sejong Soloists string ensemble -- has hopped on the “metave

Performance Sept. 2, 2021

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Theater Safety Center have jointly released a manual on theaters’ response to COVID-19 to effectively respond to virus infectious disease situations. According to the Culture Ministry, performing art halls have been evaluated to be relatively safe facilities, as there have been no audience-to-audience infections or actor-to-audience infections since the spread of COVID-19 early last year. However, there has been a need for a manual for thea

Culture Sept. 1, 2021

Though orchestral music performances are often associated with big names such as Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert or Mahler, the keywords for conductor Chin Sol’s performances strike a different note: League of Legends, StarCraft, World of Warcraft and more. Chin, 34, wears many hats. She is the exclusive conductor of the Daegu MBC Symphony Orchestra, principal conductor of the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Student Philharmonic Orche

Performance Aug. 31, 2021

Two winners of the 2021 Queen Elisabeth Competition are to hold performances across Korea starting next month. French pianist Jonathan Fournel and Japanese pianist Keigo Mukawa who took the first and the third place in this year’s competition, respectively, will kick off their schedule at the 2021 PLZ Festival held in Goseong, Gangwon Province, on Sept. 8. They will also hold recitals in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Sept. 10 and in Gwangju on Sept. 12. Fournel will presen

Performance Aug. 30, 2021

The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be held online again this year as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be contained. According to the festival organizers Thursday, the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2021 will take place Oct. 9-10 as an online event, free of charge. In 2020, the festival went online for the first time since its launch in 2006, gathering a total of around 780,000 viewers.  The primary lineup released Thursday consists of leading rock acts here suc

Performance Aug. 28, 2021

Concert pianist Cho Seong-jin, the first Korean to win the International Chopin Piano Competition, released his second Frederic Chopin album Friday. The new album, released under the Deutsche Grammophon label, features Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21. On the album, Cho is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra led by the Italian maestro Gianandrea Noseda. Though Cho has performed the work on multiple occasions, including a performance at the BBC Proms in 2018, it

Performance Aug. 27, 2021

　The South Korean government is to abolish the controversial “shutdown law,” lifting the curfew that blocks access to online games by underage users late at night 10 years after the law came into force. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the decision Wednesday, saying they will scrap the shutdown law out of respect for the rights of youths and encourage education at home. Underage gamers will be protected from ex

Culture Aug. 25, 2021

Korean National Ballet dancers are to present their own choreographed works through the “KNB Movement Series 6” show this weekend. The KNB is to go onstage on Saturday and Sunday at the Seoul Arts Center, presenting original works choreographed by its members, including principal dancer Park Seul-ki’s “Imagine,” principal dancer Shin Seung-won’s “Harmonia,” soloist Kang Hyo-hyung’s “Mannequin’s Story,” soloist Bae Min-so

Performance Aug. 24, 2021

Four Billies are ready to take to the stage after a 1 1/2 years of training in ballet, tap dance, acrobatics, acting and more. 　 The musical, based on a hit 2000 film of the same name, is set in northern England during the 1984-85 miner’s strike. Working-class boy Billy discovers his passion and talent for ballet and pursues his dream. Elton John composed the score and Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay, wrote the book and lyrics. 　 A licensed version of the musical &ldquo

Performance Aug. 23, 2021

Rock musician Yoon Do-hyun has been able to reminisce about the old days while starring in the musical “Gwanghwamun Sonata.” The musical, produced by CJ ENM, tells the story of middle-aged musician Myungwoo. In a coma on his deathbed, Myungwoo travels back to his past in the ‘80s and ‘90s, guided by Weolha. Yoon plays the title role of Myungwoo along with stage actors Um Ki-joon and Kang Pil-seok. “Myungwoo is a composer who is crazy about music. I can relate

Performance Aug. 22, 2021

The KBS Symphony Orchestra is to hold the concert, “Pictures at an Exhibition,” at the Seoul Arts Center on Thursday, joined by maestro Chung Myung-whun and pianist Garrick Ohlsson.   At the upcoming concert, the orchestra will present Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.   Ohlsson, the winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, went onstage with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in September 2019,

Performance Aug. 22, 2021

Violinist Stephen Kim is to hold a recital on Sunday at the Seoul Arts Center, opening the 2021 Hic et Nunc! music festival organized by the string ensemble Sejong Soloists. The Korean American violinist, 26, won the third prize at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. It is his first solo recital in Korea. 　 “The title of the recital is ‘Spiritual Reflection.’ I wanted to create a program consisting of -- of course something that I enjoy playing -- but

Performance Aug. 19, 2021

The musical “Wonder Ticket” is to take the stage near the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas in hopes of spreading a message of peace. The musical, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, will run from Sept. 17 to 26 at Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park in the Imjingak area, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The musical was inspired by an abandoned steam locomotive which sits at Jangdan Station in Imjingak, on the banks of Imjin River that

Performance Aug. 18, 2021

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has shared its plans for the third and last season of the turbulent 2021. The SPO’s third season is to run from September to December. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and any possible disruptions, the orchestra divided the year into three, instead of releasing the program for the whole of 2021 at the end of last year. In the third season, there will be a total of 13 performances, consisting of 11 orchestral music presentations and two chamber music re

Performance Aug. 17, 2021

The ACC World Music Festival will be held at ACC Art Theater in Gwangju from Aug. 20 to 22, both online and offline. The three-day festival, hosted by the Asia Culture Center of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Asia Culture Institute, aims to encourage the audience to embrace various genres of music, from Korean traditional music to fado and tango. The festival, in its 12th edition this year, is to showcase 24 performances in genres such as pansori, jazz, tan

Performance Aug. 17, 2021