When Korean conductor Sung Shi-yeon took the stage at the Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday night to lead the Korean Symphony Orchestra, she chose some pieces that are unfamiliar to the public. Despite the risk of losing members of the audience, who tend to be less enthusiastic about such modern or unfamiliar pieces, Sung introduced Fazil Say’s "Water (Su) for piano and orchestra, Op.45" for the first time in Korea. With the piece and Carl Nielsen’s "Helios Overture, Op.17,

Culture Sept. 20, 2023

At this moment in history, a period of constant change, where "social" plays a key role and where news and information quickly become outdated, understanding and anticipating the public's taste is a complicated task. Speaking at the Herald Design Forum on Tuesday at the Shilla Seoul, Francesco Scianni, a member of Project Group SRL, a group that specializes in style consultancy and trends research, and the owner of the brand Lebelleforme and Fashion & Design Lab, said a new

Arts & Design Sept. 19, 2023

Italian architect and designer Cristina Celestino, delivering a presentation titled “Intertwining Beauty and Sustainability: From Color to Materiality” at the Herald Design Forum 2023 at the Shilla Seoul on Tuesday, discussed how the design and planning of spaces stem from the relationships established in the design process. These relationships involve engagement with local history and culture, and a collaborative partnership with skilled local artisans, she told the audience. Cele

Arts & Design Sept. 19, 2023

Diébédo Francis Kéré, the winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022, emphasized the role of architecture in creating a better future with inspiring stories of designing sustainable buildings. “In the past, it was a competition to create wealth. The decision-makers were forced to create space and investors would have to create space for us to live. But nowadays, together, we have to think, 'How will we achieve all of this with respect to sav

Culture Sept. 19, 2023

The Munich Philharmonic, a renowned German orchestra founded in 1893, will make a Korea-only tour in late November to take the stage seven times, featuring Korea’s most-sought after musicians. During their tour, which will be conducted by Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, they will perform all-Beethoven programs in Daegu, Daejeon, Gyeonggi Province’s Gwangju and Seoul from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1. The orchestra will take the stage with pianist Lim Yun-chan four times, performing Beethoven&r

Performance Sept. 18, 2023

Renowned cellist Mischa Maisky's one and only student Chang Han-na are set to showcase their ever-evolving joint musicianship before South Korean audiences later this month. Outside Korea, the duo -- who first met when the 41-year-old cellist-turned-conductor Chang was 9 years old -- occasionally took the stage together, but the upcoming reunion will mark their first performance together in 11 years. Chang and Maisky, together with the Ditto Orchestra, are set to take the stage for five p

Culture Sept. 15, 2023

A special storytelling music concert that sheds light on "comfort women" -- South Korean victims and survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery -- is returning with its seventh concert. “The Girl in the Picture” was started in 2012 by the Yoon Joo Hee Microcosmic Ensemble, combining cinematic elements, music, dance and graphic art to create a unique and visually striking show. It is a story about girls who came to be later called comfort women against their will and is a

Culture Sept. 15, 2023

Fifty local film festivals, including the big three of the Busan International Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and Jeonju International Film Festival, have joined forces to protest a cut in the budget for programs that support the local film industry. In a statement Wednesday, a group tentatively called the Film Festival Network strongly criticized the government's decision to remove funding earmarked for local film production and distribution, along with a sign

Culture Sept. 14, 2023

Oksana Lyniv, a Ukrainian conductor who is set to debut in Korea later this week, said, "If Rachmaninoff were alive, he would have opposed the war and Putin." "Putin doesn't own Russian music and it is the cultural heritage of the entire world," Lyniv, 45, told reporters during a press conference held at Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday, when asked about a movement to exclude Russian music amid the ongoing war between her motherland of Ukraine and Russia. She shared the ho

Performance Sept. 13, 2023

Yu In-chon, whose nomination as the new culture, sports and tourism minister was announced Wednesday, is no stranger to the position, having served the same post during the Lee Myung-bak administration. This is the former actor's second official position in the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. His appointment as special presidential adviser for culture and sports in July had sparked speculation that he might soon be named the next culture minister, replacing Park Bo-gyoon. Yu served as culture

Culture Sept. 13, 2023

o Concerto No. 3 in the final round, released an album dedicated to the Russian composer on Tuesday. Sunwoo’s second album, titled “Rachmaninoff. A Reflection,” is meant to commemorate Rachmaninoff, who was born 150 years ago, and also to reflect on the 34-year-old pianist himself. “'Reflection' has various meanings. It can reflect me, and also signifies that I will examine myself through the album,” Sunwoo told reporters during a press conference held a

Performance Sept. 12, 2023

During the Japanese occupation, a man and a woman find love and give birth to a child while in exile in China, anticipating the day when their homeland might regain its sovereignty. Like any other parents, they raise their child, evolving and learning from their experiences. This story is the real life story of Yang Woo-jo (1897-1964) and Choi Seon-hwa (1911-2003). Yang worked for the Korean Provisional Government, a government-in-exile based in China. Raising their first daughter, whom they n

Performance Sept. 12, 2023

South Korean violist Lee Hae-sue took home the first prize and audience prize at the 72nd ARD International Music Competition Munich on Sept. 10 at Hercules Hall in Munich. The 23-year-old violist received 19,000 euros ($20,000) in prize money and an opportunity to perform with the Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra. The ARD International Music Competition covers harp, double bass, piano trio and viola. Some 50 musicians competed in the viola category, held Sept. 2- 10. For the final round, Lee pe

Performance Sept. 11, 2023

The culture ministers of South Korea, Japan and China met at the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Thursday and Friday, in person for the first time in four years, where they vowed to strengthen cultural cooperation among the three Northeast Asian countries. On Friday, the three culture ministers -- South Korea's Park Bo-gyoon, Keiko Nagaoka of Japan and Hu Heping for China -- signed the Jeonju Declaration, which includes the expansion of cultural ex

Culture Sept. 8, 2023

Point of View The Hyundai Seoul, the biggest department store in Seoul, has everything there is for anyone to spend their precious weekend. Visitors can enjoy almost 13 football fields filled with with sports facilities, contemporary retail, luxury brands, restaurants, an in-door garden and more. And of course, the department store offers a cool summer getaway with abundant air conditioning. For those who prefer to hand-write things on paper, stationery shop Point of View is one of the must-vi

Culture Sept. 8, 2023