MOSCOW ― South Korean artists clinched five prizes, including two top vocal prizes, in one of the world’s most prestigious classical music competitions.Bass Park Jong-min, 24, and soprano Seo Sun-young, 27, of Korea won first prizes in the male and female solo vocal categories of the 14th International Tchaikovsky Competition that closed here on Thursday.In the two-week-long contest, Korea’s risin

K-Pop enthusiasts in France surprised many people in Korea as they queued for hours to see the SM Town concert. Now they are gathering online to talk about the stars. The French fan site “Sweety Nine Forum” (snsd.frenchboard.com) has a fan base ranging from the 12 to 26-years-old, but what they share in common is the Girl’s Generation. They talk about what they like about the girl group and list c

The French Ministry of Culture and Communication conferred the country’s top French cultural order “Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters” on Maestro conductor and pianist Chung Myung-whun Wednesday, making him a recipient of all three French cultural honors.The medal is the highest honor among the three “Order of Arts and Letters,” awarded to an artist who has made significant contribution t

Late works of great composers to be heard on the hills of Gangwon ProvinceInternationally renowned sister musicians Chung Myung-wha and Chung Kyung-wha said they will combine their decades of musical experience to help the Great Mountains Music Festival & School become a world-class chamber music festival.Cellist Myung-wha and violinist Kyung-wha have become new artistic directors for the GMMFS, t

Gu Ha-ra (left) and Yong Joon-hyung (Yonhap News)K-pop idols Gu Ha-ra of the girl group KARA and Yong Joon-hyung of the boy band BEAST revealed their romantic relationship Tuesday. Yong’s agency announced Tuesday that the two stars have been dating for a month.Cube Entertainment agency added that when Gu, 20, was having hard time going through the contract dispute with her agency, Yong, 22, had be

 JYJ, a Korean boy group formed by Junsu, Jejung and Yuchun of the disbanded TVXQ, has successfully wrapped up their world tour concert, its agency CJes Entertainment said on Monday.The 2011 JYJ World Tour Concert started on April 2 in Bangkok, Thailand, and the members went on to showcase their talent in Taiwan, China, Japan, four cities in the U.S. before coming back to Korea’s Busan in mid-June

British alternative rock band to play for first tims in Korea since reunionAs the U.K. rock group Suede had a strong presence in the Britpop movement in the 1990s, the disbanding of the act in 2003 was quite disappointing to alternative rock fans around the world.However, the band was reunited last year and is coming to Korea to hold their first here since the reunion. The act is to be on the fina

Eliane Elias “Light My Fire”Concord PicanteEliane Elias stands out from other Brazilian singers because she has not only a deep-rooted feel for the rhythms of her native land but also is fluent in the American jazz idiom after spending some 30 years in the United States. “Light My Fire” showcases her talents as a four-tool player -- singer, pianist, arranger and songwriter -- with a romantic colle

Police concluded Friday that the death of a motorcyclist was caused by a car driven by Big Bang member Daesung. They said Daesung would be booked without detention. The police made a briefing Friday morning based on the autopsy result of the motorist, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle driven by the 22-year-old singer, hit both a motorcyclist who was lying in the road and a taxi dri

Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet to join ensemble Ditto in SeoulNow in its fifth season, the 2011 Ditto Festival’s theme will be French classical music including Debussy, Ravel and Faure. The audience will be able to enjoy a special duo recital by ensemble Ditto and another ensemble Parker Quartet, the festival’s artistic director said on Wednesday.All-male chamber ensemble Ditto, led by violis

Indie band hopes to start working on third album after summer concertsWhile idol group-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie music scene has received relatively little attention. Seeking diversity of Korean music, The Korea Herald is running a series of interview articles shedding light on the Korean indie music scene. This is the second installment of the series.

Franz Liszt, a Hungarian gipsy, Catholic and true virtuoso open to improvisation, came to life at the fingertips of veteran pianist Paik Kun-woo in Seoul on Sunday evening. The 64-year-old’s program on Sunday was the first part of the “Paik Kun-woo, and Liszt” recital celebrating the 200th year of the composer’s birth, covering almost all of Liszt’s pieces in two concert programs at the Seoul Arts