A free pansori workshop invites foreign residents in Seoul to immerse themselves in the traditional Korean art of the narrative singing art. Titled the 2024 Ojakgyo Bridge Project: Today’s Small Pansori Class, it is part of Seoul Municipal City’s initiative to support the discovery and succession of traditional culture and organized by the World Pansori Association. In addition to providing educational value, the project aims to foster cultural exchange and deeper understanding of Ko

Culture May 27, 2024

South Korea boasts talented content creators, but despite the increasing demand for Korean cultural products, policy measures have proven ineffective. This was the assessment made by the Culture Ministry, which established the International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office in February to enhance Korea's cultural presence and influence on the global stage, ensuring that the country's cultural policies and initiatives are on par with its growing global cultural footprint. On

Culture May 23, 2024

The Korean National Opera is set to premier "Die tote Stadt" at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from Thursday to Sunday. Based on Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges-la-Morte," the opera was composed by Erich Korngold at the age of 23 and premiered in 1920. The KNO explained the Korean premiere of "Die tote Stadt" is known for its extreme difficulty, demanding high notes and stamina from singers. The role of Paul requires sustained singing with high B

Culture May 22, 2024

The musical “Spring, Again,” produced by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre, holds significant meaning for its actors, most of whom are women in midlife. It’s a rare production that features women in their 50s as its main characters. In developing the piece, the creative team observed their conversation during workshops and incorporated it into the work, making it a devised theater. As a result, the story is a familiar one to both the actors and the audience, the four actor

Culture May 21, 2024

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, one of the country’s best-known performing arts centers, is bringing back Sync Next 2024, the name for its program this summer, to contemplate the future of art and to “synchronize” with the audience, which is always “ahead.” “Art has always strived and transformed desperately to connect with its audience in every era. Artists have endured immense suffering to gain audiences, and art has continuously evolved to meet

Culture May 20, 2024

In celebration of late cellist Janos Starker’s 100th birthday and his legacy, two of Starker’s students, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Yang Sung-won, who both went on to have successful careers, will bring together more than 20 of Starker’s pupils and their pupils for a festival in Seoul and Tokyo in July. Japanese cellist Tsutsumi, president of Suntory Hall in Toyko and a professor, and South Korea's Yang, the artistic director of Music in PyeongChang and also a professor, joined

Culture May 19, 2024

South Korean pianist Paik Kun-woo kicked off his Mozart trilogy project Tuesday with the release of “Mozart: Piano Works 1." The Deutsche Grammophon album marks the first Mozart album by the 78-year-old pianist, who has an extensive discography of more than 30 albums. "Mozart's works are inherently difficult. It feels like bringing pure, natural music just as it is. After much contemplation on how to interpret it, I discovered the 'as is' music that Mozart captu

Culture May 14, 2024

PARIS, France -- The building in the heart of Paris that once housed the Paris Chamber of Commerce and the Paris Stock Exchange was transformed into a contemporary art museum, the Pinault Collection, in 2021, with renovations by architect Tadao Ando. At the center of the building is a rotunda 29 meters across whose floor is covered a total of 418 mirrors. The mirrors are an installation entitled "To Breathe -- Constellation,” by South Korean artist Kim Soo-ja, who professionally goe

Culture May 13, 2024

A concert that took place Wednesday at the Lotte Concert Hall remained relatively quiet in terms of media coverage, despite its high-profile chaebol attendees and a protest opposing one of its musicians. The concert, part of the Classical Bridge International Music Festival, featured Russian violinist Vladimir Spivakov and pianist Helene Mercier, wife of Bernard Arnault, founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH. The pianist is also the mother of Frederic Arnault, CEO of LVMH Watches, who is rumored to

Culture May 10, 2024

Pianist Lim Yunchan’s debut album, "Chopin: Etudes" released on April 19, has dominated the top ranks of major countries' classical charts, Universal Music said Friday. Lim’s “Chopin: Etudes” achieved first place on the UK Specialist Classical Chart (weekly chart, April 26 - May 2), second place on the US Billboard Classical Chart (weekly chart, April 28 - May 4) and first place on the US Billboard Traditional Classical Albums (May 5 -May 11). His Decca a

Culture May 10, 2024

American violinist Hilary Hahn is replacing pianist Son Yeol-eum in the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra concerts scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The last-minute change was made less than 16 hours after the SPO announced Wednesday afternoon that Son's performance was canceled due to a high fever and sore throat. Hahn is in South Korea at the moment as she is preparing for a recital with pianist Andreas Haefliger, an all-Brahms program taking place at Seoul Arts Center on Saturday. With the S

Culture May 9, 2024

“As someone who has dedicated a lifetime to studying various types of paper for preservation and restoration, I definitely see the value in registering 'hanji' with UNESCO's heritage list, and I believe this is very important,” said Maria Letizia Sebastiani, an authoritative figure in the field of archival and book pathology. The former director of Italy’s National Institute of Historic Heritage Preservation and Restoration, known as ICPAL, conveyed this to a g

Culture May 8, 2024

The Daewon Cultural Foundation, which marks the 20th anniversary of its establishment on Wednesday, announced the winners of its 13th music prize -- pianist Son Yeol-eom, violinist Kim Bomsori and pianist Lim Yunchan. Returning after four years of a pandemic-induced hiatus, the foundation selected Son as the grand prize winner, while violinist Kim Bomsori was selected for the Daewon Music Award for performance. In February 2021, Kim, the winner of many international competitions including the

Culture May 8, 2024

ROME, Italy -- South Korea and Italy will commemorate the 140th anniversary of their diplomatic relations by enhancing cultural exchanges throughout 2024 and 2025. The year of cultural exchange was first announced in November during Italian President Sergio Mattarella's state visit to South Korea. The initiative officially began Saturday with a performance of Korean traditional dance in Rome. The National Gugak Center’s Dance Theater and Folk Music Group presented a specially prepared

Culture May 6, 2024

PARIS -- In the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on Thursday, two dance groups joined forces for a performance to officially kick off Korea Season 2024, an annual program organized by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange. Titled "Urban Pulse Uprising," South Korea's 1Million and the French Pockemon Crew showcased a performance encompassing various street dance genres, including K-pop, hip-hop and breakdancing for the audience that packed the 1,600-seat theater. The p

Culture May 3, 2024