The much-anticipated recitals in South Korea by Maurizio Pollini, considered one of the world’s leading pianists, have been canceled due to health reasons, the event organizer said on Thursday. Event organizer Mast Media cited chronic bronchitis as the reason for the 80-year-old musician’s abrupt cancellation of the recitals, titled “The Emperor of Piano: ‘Once in a Lifetime’” scheduled for May 19 and May 25 at the Seoul Arts Center. The company said that

South Korean pianist Kim Sunwook is swapping out his usual repertoire of Beethoven and Brahms for the upcoming recitals to play pieces that were formative in his youth. “For this recital, I wanted to take a break from Beethoven and Brahms, which I played numerous time in the 14 years of my career,” the 34-year-old pianist said, adding that he is facing a turning point as a musician.  Kim's history with these pieces is highlighted by a performance of Brahms’

Two Grammy-winning artists, violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill and violinist Hilary Hahn, are scheduled to perform in South Korea in the coming weeks. O’Neill will join the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for two concerts on May 19 and 20 at the Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, marking the first time in 15 years for the US-based violist to perform with the orchestra.  During the 90-minute concert, O’Neill will premiere Paul Chihara’s “Concerto for Viola an

For the last four years, Park Hye-sang, an emerging South Korean soprano, has lived as a cultural nomad, bouncing between New York, Berlin and Seoul to further her career as an opera singer. The first four months of this year alone were a whirlwind of concerts and long-haul flights for Park. In January, she was in New York to perform Pamina in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” with the Metropolitan Opera and in Prague for an Opera Gala with Prague Philharmonia. From there, she hop

A total of 12 Intangible Cultural Heritage Masters and dozens of educators gathered Wednesday in southeast Seoul to protest a newly proposed school curriculum, calling it a “massacre of gugak.” Gugak refers to Korean traditional music in Korean. Led by Lee Young-hee, 83, Intangible Cultural Heritage Master of Gayageum Sanjo and Byeongchang, the group condemned an ongoing research project led by the Ministry of Education to revamp school music curriculum. “We have devoted

From introducing forgotten female composers to crossing over beyond classical music into K-culture, the Korean National Symphony Orchestra unveiled plans to impress its name on the minds of music lovers at home and abroad. The orchestra’s artistic director David Reiland introduced various artistic plans and initiatives to reporters during a press conference at Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday. Reiland plans to help discover forgotten female composers, a continuation of a project with Franc

Since Min Byoung-chul first wrote “Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans” in 1993 to highlight cultural and behavioral differences between Koreans and Americans, the book has been revised six times. In the latest revision, the well-known English educator said half of the content has changed.  “There appears to be increasing global interest about Korea due to Hallyu (Korean wave content) such as ‘Squid Game’ and BTS. Many Koreans are also going out to the world stage,

Spring offers the perfect weather for enjoying street performances. Taking advantage of the warm sunshine and to support street performers, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture has organized a festival dedicated to various street arts ranging from puppet shows to a percussions concert. 　From April 23 to May 22, events take place every weekend from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at different places. For this weekend’s edition, Seoul Forest will be the center stage for nine performances. 　“

The presidential transition team’s vice spokesperson on Wednesday denied a report that President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, might lead an art exhibition at Cheong Wa Dae. It refuted a Yonhap report on Wednesday which quoted an aide to Kim saying that the incoming first lady could categorize artworks owned by Cheong Wa Dae and introduce them to the public. “It’s only a natural idea that Kim, who has expertise in art curation, helps open the art collection

Bestselling author Lee Oi-soo died of COVID-19-associated pneumonia on Monday, according to his family. He was 75. Lee died at around 8 p.m. at a hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, of complications from COVID-19 after he contracted the viral illness in March. He had been in poor health since a collapse from a cerebral hemorrhage in March 2020. He was treated for stomach cancer in 2014. Born in 1946 in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province, he studied education in college for eight years

The “City of Light,” known as “Gwangju” in Korean, is back for the third time since it first took the stage in 2020. This time, the musical aims to reach a global audience to deliver a story of resistance and the democratic movement when it gives a preview on Broadway later this year, the musical’s production team said last week. “‘City of Light’ was created as part of an initiative to popularize the iconic protest song ‘March for the Be

A seminar that will shed light on the current state and future of Korean culture will take place online Wednesday, the organizers said Monday. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization, the seminar, titled “The Spirit of the Times as Reflected in K-Culture” will start with a keynote speech from Pier Luigi Sacco, a professor of cultural economics at IULM University Milan. Other participants include domestic and international experts

Several world-class pianists are poised to perform in Korea in the coming months, as the country returns to normalcy with most of the social distancing measures removed. The list of acclaimed pianists coming to Korea includes many familiar names, such as Maurizio Pollini, Yuja Wang and Rudolf Buchbinder. Legendary pianist Maurizio Pollini, 80, will take the stage twice in May in what would be his first recital in Korea. Also making a debut in the country is Yuja Wang, a Chinese pianist kn

Maurizio Pollini, who is considered one of the world’s leading pianists, is coming to South Korea for the first time for two recitals next month. The 80-year-old pianist will take the stage on May 19 and May 25 at Seoul Arts Center. Much anticipated by his fans, his 100-minute recital, titled “The Emperor of Piano: ‘Once in a Lifetime,” marks Pollini‘s Korea debut. However, the upcoming recitals are also gaining attention for a different reason -- the exorbitan

“Save Ukraine - #StopWar,” a charity concert aimed at supporting Ukraine will air in South Korea on Sunday, TRA Media, which previously aired several Ukrainian dramas in South Korea, said on Thursday. The concert, which was origianlly aired by TVP, a Polish state-run TV channel, on March 28 in more than 20 countries, will be shown on TVAsia Plus Channel, after the channel operator TRA Media accepted a request by the Ukraine Embassy in Seoul to show the program in South Korea. K

A concert seeking to shed light on the musical talent of King Sejong the Great will take place next week at the National Gugak Center. King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) was the fourth ruler of the Joseon era, whose remarkable legacy includes, most notably, the creation of Hangeul, the Korean writing system. The Court Music Orchestra of the National Gugak Center will celebrate one of King Sejong’s legacies in a concert titled “Sejong’s sound: Yeomindongrak,” which trans

A long-running chamber music festival led by violinist Kang Dong-suk is set to return next week with a focus on cello. Titled “Cellissimo!,” the 17th edition of the festival will delve into the beauty of the four-string instrument that originated in Italy in the 1600s. This is the third time the festival is focusing on a particular instrument: In 2011, the piano took center stage followed by the violin in 2012. “Cello is one of the most popular instruments and cellists

A longtime journalist covering politics and now a culture minister nominee in the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Park Bo-gyoon said he has ample experience and deep-seated interest in cultural matters. “I was mainly a journalist at the political news desk, but I wrote a lot of articles about culture, art, content, history, sports and tourism. When I traveled around the world, I visited cultural and artistic sites such as museums and archives first. So this field is by no means un

Top Korean musicians ranging from pianist Sunwoo Yekwon to the Novus Quartet and soprano Im Sun-hae will join forces for a six-day all-Schubert concert series in June, event organizer Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said Tuesday. Titled “Dear Schubert,” the series is part of the annual Sejong Chamber Series that was launched in 2015. The concert series will open on June 21 with a piano solo recital by Sunwoo Yekwon who will play Four Impromptus D.899, Six Moments Musicaux, D

Two young emerging Korean musicians took home prizes from the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Competition, the Kumho Culture Foundation announced Monday. Flutist Kim Seo-hyeon and violinist Kim Eun-che placed second and third in their respective categories at the competition that took place in Denmark on Sunday. Kim, received 10,000 euros ($10,900) in prize money and two special prizes -- the Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize and Junior Jury Prize. Italian flutist Alberto Mavarra snatched t