Violinist Edwin E.S. Kim is embarking on an unprecedented journey with 30 concerts, collectively titled “Dots and Lines,” aiming to explore 300 years of violin history. “By mathematical definition, a point is a place in space; a line is a set of points, and a surface is a set of lines,” Kim said during a press conference Tuesday. “I thought it would be intriguing to showcase how the works of great composers throughout history are connected. Each work is a formulat

“Kpop,” an original musical about what it takes to be a K-pop star, is hitting Broadway in October after five years as a smaller scale show that has grown in popularity in tandem with the global rise of Korean music. “Kpop” premiered as an immersive off-Broadway show in the fall of 2017. The production received the 2018 Richard Rodgers Award, three Lucille Lortel Awards, including best musical, the Off Broadway Alliance Award, and seven Drama Desk Award nominations. It

K-pop has become a truly global phenomenon, thanks to its distinctive blend of melodies, powerful choreography and an endless parade of attractive performers. Amid the popularity of K-pop worldwide, an increasing number of big-name artists are wooing Korean musicians. It is a desire shared by Brazilian DJ Alok, who has worked with global artists such as John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Jason Derulo, Dua Lipa and Steve Aoki. While the world’s top DJ is still thirsty for more collaboration project

   Clarinet player Cho Sung-ho discovered his passion for wind instruments when he played the recorder for the first time in fifth grade. He had been exposed to music from an early age by his mother who was a piano teacher, and by his maternal grandfather who was a professional violinist. “For some reason that I couldn’t pinpoint, I wasn’t a big fan of the violin or the piano, but once I played the recorder, I knew I had a knack for wind instruments,” Cho tol

There are many titles that could be used to describe Lang Lee -- from singer-songwriter and writer to film director and cartoonist. The 35-year-old multitalented artist has striven hard to tell people what the world in which she lives is like through different forms of art. Lang Lee is mostly known as a singer-songwriter, although her music is overshadowed by the popular music styles of today. After debuting in 2012 with her first full-length album “Yon Yonson,” the artist has focu

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- On Friday evening at Tongyeong Concert Hall, Chin Unsuk, one of the world’s leading contemporary composers, sat down in the audience to witness the first performance of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, which she now leads as its artistic director for the next five years. Chin observed as Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska was met with rousing, minuteslong applause from the audience for her direction of Andrew Norman’s Asia premiere o

Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province -- Twenty years after a music festival kicked off in a remote port city in southern South Korea with little music infrastructure, Tongyeong International Music Festival, armed with composer Chin Un-suk as its artistic director, began the 2022 edition Friday. The obstacles that TIMF has faced vary, according to Lee Yong-min, CEO of Tongyeong International Music Foundation, ranging from the physical distance to an audience unfamiliar with contemporary

Ranging from classical, jazz and pop to traditional Korean sounds, music filled the Seoul Arts Center’s concert hall Wednesday night in a concert held to wish for peace amid the war in Ukraine. The “2022 Special Concert for World Peace,” co-hosted by The Korea Herald and the Seoul Arts Center, delivered a message of peace and harmony led by the Seoul Pops Orchestra’s director and conductor Ha Sung-ho. “I am touched and amazed by how many people in Korea are sendin

Cellist Mischa Maisky is coming back to South Korea for the first time in five years, with three recitals in April and May. The cellist will be accompanied by pianist Lily Maisky, who is also his daughter. Maisky and his daughter will kick off a three-concert series at Gunsan Arts Center in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on April 29. After performing at the Seoul Arts Center on May 1, the duo will travel to Gwangju for the last recital here at Gwangju Culture & Art Center on May 3. Bo

Ukrainian and Russian colleagues believe music, culture stronger than politics and war

South Korea’s three leading chamber ensembles are set to join forces for a concert in April, according to classical music management company MOC Production. Titled “Quartet Plus,” the concert on Aprill 20 will feature performances by three award-winning quartets -- Novus Quartet, Abel Quartet and Arete Quartet. Abel Quartet will open the concert with Haydn’s Hob III:70 - String Quartet Op. 71, No. 2 in D major. The youngest ensemble, Arete Quartet, will perform Shum

Singer-songwriter Seori returned to the stage with her fifth digital single “Can’t Stop This Party” Tuesday, after a seven-month hiatus. “The newly launched single was a new experience and a challenge,” the artist said at a press showcase event held in western Seoul ahead of the single’s release at 1 p.m. online. “Can’t Stop This Party” is an all-English language single and a follow-up to “Dive with You,” which was released la

Hybe, the agency behind BTS, and FNC Entertainment, the company behind SF9, Monday announced plans to hold a series of auditions in the US aimed at finding new talents. Hybe’s seven subsidiaries -- Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, Koz Entertainment, Hybe Labels Japan and Hybe America -- are set to hold their first joint auditions in Las Vegas next month. “Hybe Multi-label Audition” will take place four times on April 8-9 and April 15-16 there. An

  The Korean Symphony Orchestra on Friday is officially adding “national” into its name following the culture minister’s approval earlier this month. The name change for the orchestra, which is under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been pushed for several years, but faced opposition from the KBS Symphony Orchestra, which was once the National Symphony Orchestra. Despite being an organization supported by a national budget, the orchestra has been long

The annual overseas K-pop concert series organized by entertainment giant CJ ENM will resume in-person this year after a two-year hiatus. This year’s KCON will be the first on-site festival since the coronavirus crisis began three years ago. CJ ENM held the festival as online events in 2020 and last year. The upcoming K-pop concert series will hit five cities around the world this year, including Seoul, Chiba, Chicago, Tokyo and Los Angeles. The lineups for the concerts have yet to be