‘Right Now Music 2015’ festival to showcase contemporary music scene

From avant-garde and modern rock to classical and traditional Korean music, Seoul’s soon-to-be launched “Right Now Music 2015” festival is looking to play catch-up to Europe and America by strengthening the city’s contemporary music scene.

The two-day, 16-hour art house music marathon concert will be held on April 11 and 12 at the old Seoul Station building, renamed Cultura Station Seoul 284. It will showcase modern music with simultaneous live performance art that pushes the boundaries of non-mainstream exhibitions. 

“For the past year we have been working tirelessly to get this event up and running because we feel that this country’s contemporary music scene is still lagging,” said Kim In-hyun, CEO of the organizer Ear To Mind, during a press conference held at the Fraser Place hotel in Seoul Wednesday.

“Especially when you compare the country to places like New York or Europe, where contemporary and modern music has become the hot new trend, we are falling behind,” she added.

The lineup for the inaugural festival will include unique performances by local and oversea acts, including Germany’s “Ensemble U3,” Slovenian guitarist Mak Grgic and one of Right Now Music’s main headlining acts, Alarm Will Sound.

The New York-based 20-member chamber orchestra Alarm Will Sound is particularly known for its out-of-the-box performances as the group prides itself on not binding its act to playing the classics. Rather, it focuses on musical performances that incorporate theatrical and multimedia elements of avant-garde sounds.

Along with the event’s modern music acts, local TV personality Julian Quintart from the reality JTBC TV program “Non-Summit” will unveil his latest electronic music productions. The Belgian native is slated to spin live at the DJ after-party on the inaugural night of the event.

“We want to create an event so that people do not have to leave the country to be able to enjoy and immerse themselves in contemporary music,” she added. “Hopefully one day we will have people outside the country who want to come to Korea to hear modern acts.”

Ticket prices for “Right Now Music 2015” range from 12,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, visit www.rightnowmusic.co.kr.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)