Korean ballet dancers with overseas dance companies will join a gala show for the 2021 Ballet Festival Korea at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, June 24-25. More than 100 prominent ballet stars who perform on the international ballet scene have participated in the annual gala since its inception in 2001. Yang Jong-ye will perform “Le Sacre du Printemps” (The Rite of Spring). Chung Hye-m...

This year, the music videos were shot around the country and the pay was raised from 5 million won to 7 million won per act. The center said it will collaborate with the Korea Creative Contents Agency, Korean Culture Center and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote the videos overseas. It also plans to provide tourist information about the places featured in the music videos, encouraging t...

Big name stage actors Jung Sung-hwa and Yu Jun-sang take on the role of Beetlejuice, who calls himself a “bio-exorcist.” “I have starred in various comedy musicals, but the Beetlejuice character is at the peak of my comedy musical career. Beetlejuice is rude and humorous. He is like a strategist, a mix of good and evil,” Jung said. Yu mentioned the cast members are practicing 12 hours a day. “...

Lee hinted there might be a second season. “At first, 10 episodes seemed to be enough. But after wrapping up, I think there should be more. This should not end as a 10-part story. The story has to continue,” he said. By Im Eun-byel ( silverstar@heraldcorp.com )

Meanwhile, cellist Han Jae-min, 14, became the youngest winner of the first prize in the cello discipline on May 15. He is the youngest winner ever of the whole competition. He is studying at the Korea National University of Arts. Violinist Wee Jae-won, 21, came in second place for the violin discipline on May 19. Wee is currently studying at The Juilliard School. By Im Eun-byel ( silverstar@h...

“Though we are stuck inside the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe everyone has felt or learned something, finding happiness in our own ways,” she said. For Kang, the COVID-19 lockdown enabled her to better concentrate on practicing. “I found myself practicing the violin, not because I have to prepare for an upcoming performance, but because I wanted to play it. In the past year, I have been concentr...

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Friday that it would take action against Chinese music labels that infringed copyrights by uploading translated versions of K-pop songs on YouTube. There has been active discussion online about the practice of registering translated K-pop songs as original works by Chinese artists, without approval from the rightful copyright holders. IU’s “...

As a legendary figure in the Korean mime scene, Yu led the Chuncheon International Mime Festival from 1989 to 2013 as its artistic director. “For 25 years, I neglected my own art world, being focused solely on the festival. Since stepping down from the post, I have been able to work more on my own art,” he said. Though nearly 50 years have passed since he first went onstage as a mime artist, Yu...

The sound system has been improved, too. The new Immersive Sound System featuring 132 speakers installed around the hall allows for balanced sound to be heard throughout the theater. The sound reverberation time, which refers to how long the sounds stay in the space, was previously 1.35 seconds, but has been extended to 1.65 seconds. But even without the new sound system, the newly renovated the...

For the upcoming recital, Vice Conductor Lee Seung-hweon will take the baton. The National Orchestra of Korea is working on producing content that is appropriate for people of different ages so they can better understand traditional Korean music. Meanwhile, the orchestra will offer a recording of its performance online, joining hands with local mobile carrier SK Telecom. The recording will be a...

Soprano Kim Hyo-young and tenor Duke Kim are among the five winners of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, formerly known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Award. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 67th edition of the prestigious annual competition was held virtually for the first time in its history, garnering a total of 1,200 applicants from around the ...

Well-known singers have come together with a message of hope in a remake of the 1999 song “Become One” (unofficial translation). The original song was created to deliver that message amid the 1997 financial crisis in South Korea. Big-name singers of the time, from Shin Seung-hun and Kim Jong-seo to Um Jung-hwa and hit K-pop acts such as H.O.T, Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L, took part in the recording, ...

Kim Su-yeon became the first Korean pianist to win the first prize at the Concours Musical International de Montreal. The list of winners for this year’s competition, held for the piano discipline, was unveiled Friday, with Kim announced as the first prize winner. Kim will receive awards and scholarships valued at a total of over $180,000, along with a concert tour in three North American citie...

Boryeong Mud Festival The 24th Boryeong Mud Festival will be held both online and offline, under the slogan “On and Off,” from July 23 to Aug. 1. According to organizers, the hybrid festival will connect online and offline content, introducing properties and uses for the mud of Boryeong and other local specialties. Details will be released after monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases through t...

Singer J. Yoon of M.C the Max was found dead Thursday. According to the Seoul Mapo Police Station, J. Yoon, 39, whose legal name is Yoon Jae-woong, was found dead at his home in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. His agency, 325 E&C, called the police as it had been unable to reach Yoon. “J. Yoon left us on Thursday,” the agency said in an official statement. “Members of M.C the Max and the staff of...