Critically acclaimed Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang wants her presence to become more known to Korean audiences with her latest album, “Heartstrings.”  A big-time classical music icon across Asia and parts of Europe, Yang is considered one of the classical guitar world’s leading musicians, having been acclaimed as among the “most extraordinary instrumentalists in the world” and the “most impressive advocate for her instrument.” Yet, in Korea, the 38-year-old guitarist has yet to establi

A scene from Kang Sue-jin’s final ballet production, “Onegin.” (Credia)As the tragedy-plagued Tatiana, local prima donna Kang Sue-jin has cemented her rightful ranking as one of the country’s most coveted ballerina figures with her final dance production, “Onegin.”Kang performed three shows at the Seoul Arts Center over the weekend along with the Stuttgart Ballet, capping off a perfect ending to her illustrious, three-decade ballet career. Bidding farewell to the local audience, Sunday’s perform

Inarguably one of Korea’s most adorned artistic treasures, ballerina Kang Sue-jin will soon hang up her ballet slippers after her final production of “Onegin” with the Stuttgart Ballet.“This will be my last performance in Korea,” said Kang, 48, in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday.“Following the shows in Korea, I will take the stage again next year to perform ‘Onegin’ once more in Stuttgart and then I will retire,” she added.   Stuttgart Ballet artistic director Reid Anderson (from left t

It has been seven years since local piano phenom Lim Dong-hyek has released an album. Dubbed one of today’s most acclaimed Chopin interpreters, the 31-year-old pianist has eagerly returned to his Chopin roots in unveiling his new album, which was released Monday, dedicated to the 19th-century virtuoso’s later, more somber works.“With this music, I hope that people will listen and actually be saddened,” said Lim during a press conference at the Stradeum concert hall in Seoul on Tuesday. “If your

Chinese piano prodigy Yundi Li’s recent Seoul performance has been making headlines -- not for an outstanding performance, but because of his tempo blunders and seemingly shameless attitude afterward. The 33-year-old pianist returned to Korea to play alongside the renowned Sydney Orchestra, which performed two shows on Oct. 30 and 31 at the Seoul Arts Center -- with Li performing as a soloist with the orchestra Friday and violinist Vadim Repin performing Saturday. Despite being referred to as a

A Spanish court on Friday convicted a couple of drugging and suffocating their 12-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, in a case that has drawn the attention of Beijing.Rosario Porto, a former lawyer, and her ex-husband, journalist Alfonso Basterra, had been accused of periodically drugging their daughter Asunta Yong Fang Basterra Porto with the sedative Orfidal for three months and finally asphyxiating her in September 2013.The child's body was found in a wood near northwestern city of Santiago d

A popular folk singer was arrested in southern India on Friday for allegedly writing and singing a song that criticised the local government over state-owned liquor shops, his lawyer said.Kovan, known in Tamil Nadu for his songs against alcoholism, was arrested overnight at his residence after police found a video of the song allegedly condemning the state's popular leader, Jayalalithaa Jayaram."Kovan was arrested around 2:30 am (2100 GMT) because he sang a song and it was uploaded on social med

South Korea and China agreed to take even tougher actions to deal with illegal fishing activities to prevent the depletion of fish stocks around the Korean Peninsula, the government said Friday.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the two countries issued a communique earlier in the day in Beijing that aims to better tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. As of last year 341 Chinese boats have been caught breaking rules.The latest understanding comes after Seou

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin bought a 2.1 percent stake in Lotte Confectionery Co. on Friday, emerging as the second-largest shareholder in one of the group's major affiliates.Shin spent around 69 billion won (US$60.5 million) in buying a total of 30,000 shares in Lotte Confectionery, the company said in a regulatory filing. The purchase was made during after-hour trading.The purchase brought his stake in Lotte Confectionery to 8.78 percent, which exceeded a 6.83 percent stake owned by his

Having experienced rapid economic growth in the past few decades, Korea has proactively implemented recycling-oriented measures against the growing waste.The government implemented waste schemes during industrialization in the ’60s and ’70s, and in 1992 it began to actively push for recycling under the recycling promotion act. The state set legal limits on the use of packing materials and disposable products; imposed waste fees on manufacturers that make unrecyclable products; and provided suppo

This is a second and final story on the two-part travel series following a weeklong West Coast road trip from the bayside city wonders of San Francisco, California, to the frills and thrills of Las Vegas, Nevada. -- Ed.LAS VEGAS, Nevada / GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona -- Known as the city where jet-setters are openly encouraged to let go of their inhibitions and indulge themselves in the seedier pleasures of life, Las Vegas is called the sin city for all the best reasons.Following the seas

Set against the imaginative backdrop of exotic India, the Universal Ballet’s latest production of “La Bayadere” pays homage to the 19th-century tale of two people’s eternal vows that ends in tragedy. The nearly three-hour-long “La Bayadere,” or the “The Temple Dancer,” follows the story of the alluring lower caste temple dancer Nikiya and her unflinching love for a young, royal warrior named Solor. Sharing her deep love and affection, Solor vows to the gods his eternal devotion to her.  Scene fr

Wu Wei, a renowned soloist of the traditional Chinese mouth-organ sheng, will hit the stage Friday night as part of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s two-day “Ars Nova” contemporary music concert series. The 4,000-year-old woodwind folk instrument is a rare sight in today’s music scene, with an equally rare-sounding instrumental pitch to match. “The sounds of the sheng are very mysterious and the skills it takes to play this instrument are not something that can easily be explained,” said SPO compo

Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra’s guest conductor Chung Myung-whun (Matthias Creutziger)Following a number of world-class ensembles that have graced the Seoul stage this year, the month of November promises to be a much-welcomed continuation of some of the classical music world’s best.  The Seoul Arts Center is gearing up to play host to three of Germany’s oldest and celebrated orchestras -- the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recognized as one of Spain’s most distinguished international conductors, maestro Juanjo Mena and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage Wednesday night at the Seoul Arts Center bringing to life the sounds of Britten, Sibelius and Schubert, while also delighting the audience with the evening’s highlight: special guest soloist Viktoria Mullova.  Opening up its return performance in Korea after more than seven years, the orchestra performed Benjamin Britten’s buoyant Simple Symphony, Op.

Psy, Big Bang and TVXQ are among the five acts that best represent K-pop, according to a recent survey on the nation’s best hallyu content of all time. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, which released the poll Tuesday, the remaining two in the top five K-pop acts are Girls’ Generation and BoA; while the list for most popular Korean TV dramas and shows to-date are: “Jewel in the Palace,” “Winter Sonata,” “My Love from the Star,” “Autumn in My Heart” and reality TV show “Running Man.

YB, one of the country’s most iconic rock bands, will be celebrating 20 years of rocking with the release of new single “20-years,” as well as by holding four concerts in Seoul later this month. 　“It has not been an easy ride and many bands do not make it this far, so this is a very special feat,” said band leader and vocalist Yoon Do-hyun during a press conference held at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul on Tuesday.With Yoon at the helm over the past two decades, YB has not only solidified its name as o

Continuing the efforts to vamp up its public image by reaching out to the community, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra opened up its rehearsal studio Tuesday night for the second time this year. Tickets to the rehearsal were sold out, as the SPO welcomed 45 members of the public to the orchestra’s practice room to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the maestro conducts a rehearsal session. This concept of public education and involvement has been used by other orchestras spanning the globe, s

Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled. Most commonly made with napa cabbage, geotjeori goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (a warm noodle soup) and barbecued meat.Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor

An elderly Yi woman, who belongs to one of the biggest ethnic minority groups in Yunnan, wears a traditional Yi costume for a dance performance. (Claire Lee /The Korea Herald)YUNNAN PROVINCE, China -- While it may not be home to the Forbidden City or the Oriental Pearl Tower, China’s southwest province of Yunnan is where one can get a glimpse of one of the most unique and culturally rich sides of the country.The location of Yunnan, which means “the place of the colorful clouds in the south” in C