10 people died at the Astroworld music festival two years ago. What happens now?

Nearly two years after 10 people were crushed to death during the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, no charges have been filed — even though some people, including event workers, expressed safety concerns. Pinpointing “who exactly caused those deaths is not an easy question to answer,” said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center. “It’s a very difficult thing to say, unless you have some kind of clear evidence that som

July 30, 2023

[Eye Interview] 250 redefines once-tacky 'ppong' music as fresh, trendy

Producer and composer 250 did not say a thing or sing a line during his concert that started at the unusual time of 9 p.m. on July 15 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Without uttering a word, 250, pronounced "Lee O-gong," also known for producing songs for K-pop girl group NewJeans, captured the audience with his music. The stage setting seemed designed to focus on nothing else but music. When the singers and saxophonist that 250 had collaborated with on his last album

July 29, 2023

Washington Ballet’s Lee Eun-won to star in ballet inspired by independence activist An Jung-geun

As Liberation Day approaches, a creative ballet performance titled "An Jung-geun: A Dance in the Heaven" is scheduled to take place at the Mapo Art Center on Aug. 11-12. The performance draws its inspiration from the last words of An, a Korean independence activist who, moments before his execution at Lushun Prison in China in March 1910, declared, “When the day comes that I hear of Korea’s independence, I will dance and shout ‘Hurrah!’” The story of An&rs

July 28, 2023

Outdoor 'Moonlight Theater' to screen NTOK's changgeuk, dance dramas

The National Theater of Korea is set to host a series of outdoor screening events on the first-floor balcony of the Haeoreum Theater, starting at 7:30 p.m. over three consecutive Wednesdays. Live performance recordings of three productions from the 2022-2023 NTOK Repertory Season will be screened. The event will kick off on Aug. 9 with the National Changguek Company’s innovative production of “Rabbit's Eight Sufferings.” This reinterpretation of the traditional pansori &ld

July 28, 2023

Pinkfong, creator of 'Baby Shark,' amasses 1 billion streams on Spotify

Pinkfong, the creator behind “Baby Shark” and other children’s songs which feature animated animal characters, has surpassed a combined 1 billion streams on Spotify, according to Pinkfong Co., the South Korean entertainment company. An official from the company said that this is the first time a South Korean animated production has achieved such a milestone. With a monthly listener count of 4.3 million, the company has been releasing a diverse range of children's songs sin

July 27, 2023

'Every performance becomes shared journey of musical exploration': Ray Chen

Ray Chen, a Taiwanese Australian violinist, wears many hats. In addition to performing with top orchestras around the world and bringing life to classical music, Chen, the winner of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is also a music educator and music director for video games. Driving the 34-year-old violinist in all these activities is his desire to share the magic of music with others. “Whether it's on stage, in a practice app, or a video online, each platform allows me to reach

July 26, 2023

National Theater of Korea to present 60 works, including 24 new pieces, next season

The National Theater of Korea is in full-swing preparations to showcase captivating works that blend novelty with tradition for the upcoming season, including a grand-scale musical cantata featuring 300 artists and a traditional concert accompanied by liquor. The artistic directors of three national troupes affiliated with the theater -- the National Changgeuk Company, National Dance Company and National Orchestra -- unveiled the lineup for the 2023-24 program scheduled for Sept. 1 to June 30, 2

July 23, 2023

Series of music, theater festivals to fill the summer

This summer the stage is set for a series of thrilling arts festivals, starting with the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival on Friday. As the season unfolds, various other festivals will return every week through the end of August. The 23rd edition of the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival will run until July 29 at Miryang Aria and other venues in the small city located in South Gyeongsang Province. The city has a population of about 100,000, but it will temporarily become the nation

July 21, 2023

Pianist Hayato Sumino weaves unusual way to classical acclaim

YouTube fame and classical music acclaim are both significant achievements in their own right but Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino, who is set to perform in South Korea for his second recital next week, can lay claim to both. Sumino, also known by his name on YouTube, Cateen, not only has 1.24 million subscribers on YouTube, but has also been acknowledged in prestigious competitions. The 28-year-old was born with a talent for playing the piano, but instead of choosing to formally study music,

July 20, 2023

Pentaport Rock Festival to hit Incheon in August

Incheon is in for a wave of rock nostalgia in August with the annual Pentaport festival bringing in some legendary names this year. Slated to take place on Aug. 4-6 at Moonlight Festival Park in Songdo district, 2023 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival is set to be headlined by several long-celebrated bands over its three-day run. The first day will be led by Japanese punk rockers Ellegarden, which recently ended its 16-year hiatus with a reunion album and a national tour in Japan. Ellegarden will b

July 18, 2023

Woodstock Korea postponed due to rain safety concerns

The Woodstock festival initially scheduled to take place for the first time in Korea from July 28-30 has been postponed to October, the festival's main organizer SGC Entertainment announced Friday. The company addressed safety concerns arising from the rainy season, while adding that it plans to enhance the festival lineup in light of the delay, according to local media reports. “Due to safety concerns and to improve the overall quality of the program, we have decided to postpone the

July 17, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singing together changes lives, says founder of diverse children's choir

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), a renowned multicultural youth chorus known for its exceptional talent and pioneering diversity model, embarked on its first journey to South Korea this month. A delegation of 100 choristers, aged between 11 and 18, set foot in Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon Province, to participate in the 12th World Choir Games from July 3 to 13. Over the course of the 11-day event, the choir showcased its virtuosity and brilliance, earning five go

July 17, 2023

Classical music lovers to get their fill come October, November

In October and November, a number of orchestras from around the world will be performing back-to-back in South Korea. These performances will feature collaborations with top Korean and international musicians like pianists Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan. They will also be an opportunity to compare different renditions of the same piece by different orchestras. A concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Oct. 7 at the Seoul Arts Center will launch the string of concerts. Led by Edward Gardn

July 15, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Broadway needs to find ways to welcome new audiences'

K-Musical Market was launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service to promote Korean original musicals internationally. The Korean government's hope is that Korean musicals might replicate the achievements of K-pop, movies and dramas. And that hope is not groundless. Musicals account for 75 percent of ticket revenue in the country's performing arts industry and the musical scene is burgeoning with countless big an

July 13, 2023

Experimental music group Gongmyoung to embark on voyage 'With Sea'

South Korean experimental music group Gongmyoung is set to perform at the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater on Friday and Saturday. Known for experimenting with sounds from both Western and traditional Korean wind and percussion instruments, Gongmyoung has been an in-house artist at the traditional Korean music performance venue in Jongno-gu since 2022. The upcoming performance titled “With Sea” will take the audience on a musical voyage to the sea. The band has selected 10 songs t

July 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Director of Japanese all-women theater troupe impressed by Korean musicals' quality, state support

Kazunori Nakamura, director of Takarazuka Revue Company, has been observing South Korea’s musical industry over the past three decades. This was his first time at K-Musical Market and he was impressed by efforts put on by the Korean government. "I am surprised that there is a systematic effort for international expansion. And it's not just for the sake of overseas expansion. I felt that the quality of the creative teams, the productions and script writing were at a high level,&

July 12, 2023

Gonjiam Music Festival kicks off with peace gala concert

The 2023 Gonjiam Music Festival commenced Monday with a gala concert harmonizing musicians across diverse genres and backgrounds. The opening was the Opening Peace Gala Concert, highlighting the importance of peace on the 70th anniversary of The Korea Herald’s founding, the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement and the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US Alliance. The Korea Herald was founded on Aug. 15, 1953, less than a month after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which

July 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Young Chinese interested in musicals starring Korean idols

K-Musical Market was launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service to promote Korean original musicals internationally. The Korean government's hope is that Korean musicals might replicate the achievements of K-pop, movies and dramas. And that hope is not groundless. Musicals account for 75 percent of ticket revenue in the country's performing arts industry and the musical scene is burgeoning with countless bi

July 11, 2023

Jeonju International Sori Festival to highlight array of pansori sounds

A festival featuring the sounds of pansori in 105 performances will kick off in September. The Jeonju International Sori Festival is scheduled to take place at Jeonju Hanok Village as well as 14 cities across North Jeolla Province, from Sept. 15 to 24. “We aim to create a unique program with top-notch performances that cannot be experienced elsewhere,“ said Lee Wang-jun of the festival’s organizing committee during a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee added that a

July 9, 2023

Empty seats dampen Lim Yun-chan, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra concert

Piano sensation Lim Yun-chan's performance with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra was eagerly anticipated. It was Lim’s first concert with an overseas orchestra in South Korea and the first performance in six months here as the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has been traveling around the world. It’s also Switzerland's oldest orchestra’s first return in four years, this time with new artistic director Michael Sanderling. Together, they

July 5, 2023