Articles by Park Ga-young
Park Ga-young
gypark@heraldcorp.com-
Seoul foundation aims for city never short of culture, art
Celebrating 20 years, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, a key organization under the Seoul city government responsible for carrying out its cultural policies, on Friday unveiled a new vision, “A City for Artistic Souls, Seoul.” With the vision, the foundation said it is expanding programs so that the capital city is never short of cultural and artistic activities in all four seasons. To achieve this goal, the foundation said Seoul will be armed with global cultural content
Culture March 15, 2024
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Controversy forces cancellation of Svetlana Zakharova's performances in Seoul
The upcoming performances of renowned Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova in Seoul have been canceled, according to organizer InArts Production on Friday. "We have been planning and preparing for a long time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, considering various situations. However, recently, we have decided to cancel the event due to concerns about the safety of both artists and audiences, as well as at the request of the Seoul Arts Center," the organizer said in an announcement. Th
Culture March 15, 2024
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[Herald Review] Two Victor Hugo stories unfold on musical stage
Two musicals based on works by French author Victor Hugo are attracting audiences in Korea: “Les Miserables” and “Notre-Dame de Paris.” Both musicals are inspired by stories written by the prominent French writer, poet, and playwright and utilize a sing-through format, where the majority, if not all, of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken. The musicals include melodies that are iconic numbers worth enjoying on a live stage. “Belle (Beautiful),” sung by Q
Culture March 13, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Jung Sung-hwa on challenge of playing Quasimodo
Jung Sung-hwa, a comedian-turned-musical actor, has been synonymous with the character of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun in the hit musical “Hero,” which was also adapted into a film in 2022. He is also remembered by many for memorable roles like Jean Valjean in the musical “Les Miserable” or Daniel Hillard in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Taking the role of Quasimodo in “Notre-Dame de Paris,” the 20-year veteran of musicals hopes people can forget
Culture March 13, 2024
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New Mecenat Association Chair Yoon Young-dal stresses arts in corporate culture
“Mecenat is about strengthening the roots of businesses,” according to Yoon Young-dal, the new chairperson of Korea Mecenat Association, on Tuesday. Mecenat, derived from the name of Gaius Maecenas, a politician of ancient Rome who promoted the creative activities of artists and contributed to the revival of Roman art, refers to patronage or sponsorship of the arts, culture or education by individuals, businesses or organizations. The 30-year-old organization with 215 member companie
Culture March 12, 2024
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'The Best Sopranos' concert highlights Maria Callas' life through familiar tunes
A tribute to American and Greek soprano Maria Callas took place Monday at Lotte Concert Hall. The concert, titled “The Best Sopranos” brought together five sopranos, whom the artistic director Ha Man-taek of the concert and CEO of Korea ARTS Group, said “are the best sopranos to me, even though they are so far less-well known to the world.” The sopranos -- Park Mi-ja, Kim Ra-hee, Shin Eun-hye, Lee Yun-jeong and Veronica Yoo -- were joined by two tenors Ha and Son Ji-hoon
Culture March 12, 2024
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Korea National Opera to perform Korean premiere of Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
The Korea National Opera will bring Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to the stage next month, marking the Korean premiere of the production. In a production meeting held Monday at the Seoul Arts Center, the KNO introduced the work, the production team and the cast of the opera with a libretto adapted from William Shakespeare's play. Britten's opera premiered in 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival in England. The story revolves around the adventures o
Culture March 12, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Pianist Lang Lang celebrates French music, female composers in latest album
In bringing to life a long-envisioned French project, celebrated pianist Lang Lang stumbled upon a wealth of intriguing discoveries, spanning from the works of five female French composers to even the world of Taekwondo, a Korean martial art. He said he wanted to do a French project for a long time, but it wasn't until he encountered Saint-Saens' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, “which is underrated despite its excellence,” that he decided to mak
Culture March 11, 2024
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[Well-curated] Unique interior decor, aviation museum and silent cafe
Decorate your space with colorful, unique props If you have recently moved into a new place, you may be looking for unique trinkets and small decorations to brighten up your space. Segment, a company that sells interior-related products from around the world, has opened an offline showroom. The two-story building, which is about a 10-minute walk from Naebang Station on Subway Line No. 7, is full of colorful interior decoration items from more than 100 domestic and foreign brands. On the building
Culture March 8, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Yoon Hankyeol aims to be validated by fellow conductors
After winning the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award at the Salzburger Festspiele in Salzburg, Austria in August 2023, conductor Yoon Hankyeol said he felt a sense of relief that he no longer needed to participate in such competitions. “Fortunately, it wasn’t the case for the Karajan competition, but more often than not, there are occasions where the performance is influenced by the judges, audience members, or those present in the room, rather than fully showcasing oneself,&
Culture March 7, 2024
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English version of Korean musical 'Marie Curie' to make historic West End debut
The English edition of the Korean musical “Marie Curie” is set to hit West End in June, making history as the first Korean original musical produced by a Korean production company to be staged there. Produced by Kang Byung-won and LIVE Corp., the English premier involves a British creative team, including director Sarah Meadows, music director Emma Fraser and choreographer Joanna Goodwin. Fraser also worked on English lyrics adaptation, while the English book adaptation and literal T
Culture March 5, 2024
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Culture Ministry to relax regulations in pro-business move
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday a series of tasks aimed at improving regulations, including allowing Korean nationals access to urban accommodations with live-in hosts previously reserved for foreign nationals, relaxing the fixed book price system and enhancing the administrative penalty exemption system to protect small businesses from deceptive practices by minors. With its vision of creating "a free and creative global cultural powerhouse,” the minist
Culture March 4, 2024
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Han Kang's 'I Do Not Bid Farewell' clinches second French award
Korean writer Han Kang's latest novel "I Do Not Bid Farewell" has won a French literary award, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said Friday. The novel took home the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature for her "restrained expression and the universality of its themes,” the award's organizer said Friday (French time). The French was translated by Choi Kyung-ran and Pierre Bisiou into French, with support by LTIK and published in 2023. Its English
Culture March 1, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Heading toward 20th anniversary, Novus String Quartet continues to stay current
Nine years ago this month, the Novus String Quartet was featured in The Korea Herald’s “Up and Coming” series. Nearly a decade later, they continue to evolve. “At that time, we were just making the transition from the mixed life of a student and a performer into a professional performer. Now we are professional performers who also pursue teaching careers,” violinist Kim Jae-young, the leader of the quartet, told The Korea Herald during an interview on Monday. Kim an
Culture Feb. 27, 2024
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'K-classical league' needed to create healthy classical music scene
South Korea has become a heaven for classical music prodigies but for sustainable growth, a '"K-classical league" would be more conducive, according to classical music experts during a forum on Friday. Hosted by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation, which has been supporting talented young musicians since 2009, the forum dealt with various issues concerning fostering classical music talent. “Because now South Korea has become a heaven for prodigies, they are trying to
Culture Feb. 26, 2024
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