While the 13th edition of the Korea Opera Festival is gearing up to kick off this month, the festival’s chief hoped the incoming government would support the annual event with ample financing to offer a wider spectrum of high-quality operas. “We sincerely hope to introduce more great original Korean-language pieces, as well as classic operas,” said Cho Jang-nam, chairman of the Korea Opera Company Association, at a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday, blam

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

Seoul Metropolitan Opera will stage Opera Gala Concert next month at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts featuring popular opera arias and vocal ensembles from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute,” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata.” Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra led by Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Jang Yun-seung will accompany the singers. Comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup will provid

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

K-pop boy band BTS took home the award for favorite music group for the third consecutive year at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. The seven-member band won the award over Black Eyed Peas, Florida Georgia Line, Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5 and Migos at the 35th Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards that took place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday (US time). The latest achievement puts BTS in a tie with Black Eyed Peas, One Direction and Fifth Harmony as the o

YG Entertainment is hosting a cover contest on YouTube to celebrate the release of K-pop juggernaut Big Bang’s new song, “Still Life,” the company said Friday. Kicking off on Friday, the cover contest will run through April 29. Participants can upload a video on YouTube of themselves singing or playing instruments to the entire song, the agency said. Applicants must include the contest’s specific hashtags and submit a Google Forms application, the agency said. Videos

Lee Dong-soo, a vocal trainer to K-pop musicians at YG Entertainment, will release her new single “Where Would We Go” on Friday at noon via music streaming platforms, according to Local High Records on Thursday. The teaser video for the upcoming single, a 16-second video clip showing an animated whale swimming in the night sky, was released on Local High Records’ official social media channels on Wednesday. “Where Would We Go” is a jazz pop-style song about longin

Entertainment CEO Jeong Chang-hwan cites eye-catching choreographies, magnificent visuals as keys to K-pop’s success

French orchestra is the first foreign orchestra to perform in Korea this year

Korean-American violinist Jennifer Koh has won the Best Instrumental Solo Award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for her recording “Alone Together” on Sunday (US time). “Alone Together” is based on Koh’s online performance series of the same name, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial hardship that many in the arts community face. In the album released by Cedille Records, a not-for-profit record label, Koh plays 39 world premiere recor

A six-day music festival bringing together Korean jazz musicians will be held next month, organizers announced Tuesday. The 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa will take place on Nodeul Island, Seoul, starting April 26, according to the Korea Jazz Association. The in-person festival aims to celebrate the UNESCO-designated International Jazz Day, highlighting jazz and its role in uniting people around the globe. It has been selected as one of the seven leading festivals in Seoul this year. Admission is fre

Korean American singer-songwriter Woosung will release an all-English language EP titled “Moth” next month, according to Transparent Arts. The upcoming EP will include four tracks written and produced by the artist that encapsulate the theme of moth. “Moth” will be released May 13 via global music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The music video will be available on Woosung’s official YouTube channel. “This album is for the people t

Nominated for best pop duo or group performance, BTS leaves empty-handed two years in a row

Saturday’s meeting between officials of the agency of boy band BTS, Hybe, and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee went without discussing the K-pop sensation’s possible military service exemption, a high-ranking official said, while hinting it could be discussed in the new administration. There was “no mention about the military service at all,” Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of Yoon’s presidential transition committee, told reporters after his visit t

South Korean model and actor Jung Ho-yeon, who rose to global stardom in the Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” will appear in the music video of Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. The Weeknd posted a photo of the two holding hands in an elevator on his social media, Friday, hinting that the music video for “Out of Time” is set to be released Tuesday. “Out of Time” is a track from the pop singer’s fifth studio album titled “Dawn FM,” whic