Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, Seventeen and Enhypen, has opened what it calls a "music museum" for its artists and fans at its new headquarters in central Seoul. The 4,700-square meter venue spread across two basement floors at Hybe Yongsan features giant screens that show a rotating selection of videos of its artists as well souvenirs from music production and miscellaneous objects that helped create the K-pop powerhouse. A preview of Hybe Insight on Wednesday began with an

The KBS Symphony Orchestra has appointed Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as its chief conductor and music director. The orchestra announced Tuesday that the Finnish conductor, 41, would fill the post. It had remained empty for two years, since conductor Yoel Levi left in 2019. The new conductor will begin in January and is set to stay until the end of 2024. Inkinen, who is also a violinist, studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is currently the chief conductor of the

The South Korean dance group Ambiguous Dance Company has made a surprise appearance during British rock band Coldplay's latest performance at the Brit Awards. The dance company, known for its unique choreography and playful vibe, performed alongside Coldplay in its performance of its new single "Higher Power" during the music awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday (local time). Six members of the dance group appeared as neon-colored holograms as the British rock band sang the gala

Ambiguous Dance Company, which rose to stardom with its 600-million-view YouTube hit video “Tiger is Coming” with alternative pop band Leenalchi, has joined hands with celebrated rock band Coldplay for its new single. The British rock band, led by lead singer and frontman Chris Martin, released its new single “Higher Power” Friday. In a performance video of the single shared on YouTube, Ambiguous Dance Company dancers appear as hologram dancers, dressed in eccentric co

The National Gugak Center has released some 2,800 sound sources of traditional Korean music sung by celebrated master singers online for free. Over the past year, the state-funded center dedicated to traditional Korean music has been working on developing sound sources of traditional Korean music on its Musical Instrument Digital Interface platform, also known as MIDI. In September, the NGC released 407 sound sources of notes performed on traditional Korean instruments, along with 2,226 soun

A total of 15 Korean pianists are competing in the first round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious international musical competition held in Brussels, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Known as one of the most challenging competitions for instrumentalists, the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s piano section will see 58 pianists -- nine women and 49 men -- from 16 countries vying for the top spot. At 15, Koreans account for 26 percent of the contestants. The

After 20 years on stage, Baroque music diva wants to try jazz music, theater acting

The two biggest music streamers Spotify and Apple Music are attempting to penetrate the Korean market with unique playlists and music charts. Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, announced the launch of “Jazzy Korea,” a new playlist curated to introduce a wide range of rising Korean jazz artists and tracks to celebrate the upcoming International Jazz Day on April 30. The new playlist containing 30 tracks by 30 Korean jazz artists was launc

Maestro Chung Myung-whun is returning to the stage as a pianist with the release of his second piano album Thursday. Chung will be on a recital tour of five cities -- Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju and Daegu -- this month, the first time he is going on a recital tour in seven years. The recitals will focus on late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms. In addition to Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 60, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 and Brahms’ 4 Piano P

Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music to take place May 13-23

In the pandemic era, the mandatory two-week quarantine remains a great obstacle for the performing arts scene. Acclaimed conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim was slated to hold a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on May 19 to mark the release of his Deutsche Grammophon Beethoven piano sonata album. It was to have been his first piano recital in South Korea. But production agency Inarts Production announced Friday that the recital was canceled as Barenboim was not granted exemption from the

Rising pop star Jeremy Zucker became the fourth foreign label artist to join Weverse, the fan community platform run by Hybe, on Monday. Zucker gained worldwide fame in 2018 with his song “comethru.” Thereafter, acoustic melodies and honest lyrics in his collaborations with American singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler that included “You were Good to Me,” “All the Kids are Depressed,” “Always, I’ll Care,“ among others, helped him build up a sol

Pianist Cho Seong-jin released a new album “Im Abendrot” -- meaning “at sunset” -- on Friday with German baritone Matthias Goerne, according to Universal Music‘s classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. The new album contains songs composed by three German composers of the Romantic era --Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869-1949), and Richard Strauss (1864-1949). “It’s almost impossible to describe the experience of explor

Percussionist Bak Hye-ji to perform with SPO this week

Upcoming recital in June celebrate release of her DG debut album ‘Violin on Stage’