[Herald Interview] Behind the scenes of Jongmyo Jeryeak with singers who breathe life into royal ceremony

Just as a conductor raises the baton in a Western classical orchestra, the “jipbak,” or the person playing the “bak” -- a wooden clapper used in Korean court and ritual music -- signals the beginning of the performance. Then the “chuk,’ a green box-drum that also signals the start of a royal ceremony, is struck nine times. Dressed in navy blue uniforms, the dancers in formation move gracefully and deliberately, with precise movements. As the musicians start to

Sept. 20, 2023

Munich Philharmonic to offer seven all-Beethoven concerts with top Korean musicians

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

Sept. 18, 2023

MODAFE explores artistic universe of modern dance

A festival of modern dance returns. The 2023 International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE), the country’s longest-running festival for modern and contemporary dance, is gearing up to celebrate its 42nd anniversary this year. The festival runs from Wednesday to Oct. 15, at the National Theater of Korea’s Haeoreum Theater and ARKO Arts Theater in Seoul. Under the banner of MODAFE Universe, which alludes to the distinctive artistic views crafted by choreographers and dancers, this year&#

Sept. 18, 2023

Asia Culture Center to present play by Korean, Vietnamese producers

The Asia Culture Center in Gwangju is to present a play titled “Ben Khong Chong” ("Wharf of Widows"), a collaboration between South Korean and Vietnamese producers, on Saturday and Sunday. The Korea Association of Performing Arts Producers and the Vietnam National Drama Theater showcased some 60 minutes of the play in 2022, as part of an ACC project aimed at promoting international cultural exchanges. This year the play returns with its all-Vietnamese cast, along with an ad

Sept. 17, 2023

Inaugural traditional music orchestra festival to kick off in October

Eight Korean traditional music orchestras from across the country will come together for a gugak festival next month. The inaugural “Korean Traditional Music Orchestra Festival” is to kick off ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the first Korean traditional music orchestra, the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra, which was officially established in March 1965. The festival aims to become an annual event. While there are many forms of K-culture that are thriving, tr

Sept. 17, 2023

From words to 'pansori' and music : Artistic performances inspired by literature performed at SIWF

Literary works served as an inspiration for various forms of three-dimensional readings, folk songs and "pansori" during the festival. The beauty of literature is that literary worlds can be expanded and reinterpreted into different forms, inspiring artists working in various genres. Two days of evening performances on Sept. 9 and 10 included a pansori performance, a music concert and a reading performance inspired by the works of writers who participated in this year’s SIWF. On

Sept. 14, 2023

'Putin doesn't own Russian music'

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

Sept. 13, 2023

Grand Mint Festival to kick off on Oct. 20 with 43 acts

The Grand Mint Festival 2023 announced 13 more musicians and bands for its lineup on Wednesday, including Jung Joon-il, The Classic, Young K, Yudabin Band and Hynn, completing the line up of 43 acts. The annual indie music festival will take place from Oct. 20-22 with a variety of performers, ranging from K-pop singers and ballad singers to acoustic bands and modern rock bands. The event organizer Mint Paper announced a total of 30 performers and teams last month, including Nell, Thorn Apple, N.

Sept. 13, 2023

New artistic director sets ambitious vision for KNCDC as Asia's contemoporary dance hub

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company's new director and artistic director Kim Sung-yong's ambition is to transform the dance company into a central contemporary dance hub in Asia. "I've been looking for an opportunity to create synergy by bringing together dancers from Asia. I think it’s fitting for the KNCDC, Asia's only national organization, to take on this role," Kim said speaking at a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center, on Monday. Kim off

Sept. 12, 2023

'Any emotion you may feel is the right one'

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

Sept. 12, 2023

Independence fighters' parenting saga comes alive in musical

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

Sept. 12, 2023

Violist Lee Hae-sue takes top prize at ARD competition

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

Sept. 11, 2023

World Pansori Association recruits singers for 20-hour pansori relay project

The World Pansori Association is seeking pansori singers to be part of its very first World Pansori Festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori's UNESCO recognition. On Nov. 7, the date when pansori was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the association will present the “20-hour Pansori Relay Project” over two days at Seoul's Namsan Gukakdang. The performances will be streamed worldwide on YouTube. The association is seeking 60 pansori singers, welc

Sept. 8, 2023

Musical 'Frida' continues as actor faces school bullying allegations

Amid allegations of school bullying made against her, Kim Hieora, best known for her role in Netflix series "The Glory," will continue to play her part in "Frida" as scheduled, according to the stage musical's production company EMK Musical on Friday. Kim, who has been accused of bullying in her middle school years, has denied all such allegations. Kim plays the titular role of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, as one of three cast in the role in "Frida," which start

Sept. 8, 2023

Art performance invites 100 participants to read newspapers on stage

Sung Neung-kyung, a 79-year-old conceptual artist known for his ongoing exploration of various mediums of communication like newspapers and photography, organized a unique performance art event on Wednesday. Sung invited a hundred foreigners to join him on stage at L'espace etnah's Lightroom Seoul hall in eastern Seoul, for a collective art performance project, where they jointly read newspapers aloud as a group performance. The Korea Herald newspapers were used for English-readers, al

Sept. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] From his fingertips, composer and conductor Choi Jae-hyuck brings music to life

Choi Jae-hyuck, winner of the first prize in composition at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2017, is set to unveil his first organ concerto next month. Choi has been working on the piece since 2020 when he first came up with the idea to create an organ piece, after feeling captivated by the instrument. "I spent one year redoing the first page several times. After that it got easier," Choi told reporters during an interview on Tuesday. Part of the challenge stems from the

Sept. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Making harmony is the same' both for Korean and Western classsical music: Year Ja-kyung

South Korean conductor Year Ja-kyung recently ventured into a new sphere of music when she took the baton for the National Orchestra of Korea, a musical ensemble that specializes in traditional Korean music, on Sept. 1. Year was the inaugural artist in NOK's "Discovery," a series that delves into traditional Korean orchestral masterpieces from the perspective of accomplished conductors who have built their own unique musical worlds. "I realized gugak has become something quit

Sept. 7, 2023

'Grimento' explores shadows of school bullying through contemporary dance

A heavy sense of suspense hangs in the air. While everyone remains seated upright in their chairs, their gazes fixed straight ahead, one figure alone brazenly perches on a desk, scanning the room like a predator. He then reclines in the chair. With a casual flick of his arm, the other chairs collapse. He continues to contort his body with an impending threat. Titled “Grimento,” a contemporary dance performance is set to wrap up this year’s 12-part Sejong Center’s summer c

Sept. 6, 2023

Rediscover Gyeongseong's century-old hit songs

Popular hit songs of the 1920s and 1930s will be revisited for two days this week. The National Gugak Center is set to perform “Gyeongseong Hit Songs,” a collection of century-old tunes originally recorded on gramophone records, on Wednesday and Thursday at the center's Pungnyu Sarangbang. Gyeongseong is an old name for Seoul. The introduction of phonograph records the 1920s transformed how music could be experienced. Music, previously only heard on live stage performances, was

Sept. 3, 2023

[Herald Review] Nuanced local adaptations, sound effects transplant suspense of '2:22 A Ghost Story' from West End to Seoul stage

The unidentifiable footsteps heard at 2:22 a.m. and the mysteries surrounding their origin intensify the suspense of “2:22 A Ghost Story,” the title of which captures the essence of the plot. The story revolves around Sam and Jenny, a couple who have newly moved, inviting Sam's longtime friend Lauren and her boyfriend Ben to their home. What starts as an ordinary evening meal takes a turn with Jenny’s confession. Jenny says she hears footsteps and sobs around her baby&rsqu

Aug. 31, 2023