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5-year-old Music Festival Pohang continues to experiment, evolve
Known more for its steel and shoreline than symphonies, Pohang is redefining its cultural identity. This week, its growing classical music festival returns in its fifth edition. "Five years may sound like a short time for a festival, but this fifth anniversary means a great deal to us. So this year, we’ve put together an especially varied and generous program to celebrate it," Park Yu-shin, cellist and music director of Music Festival Pohang, told reporters during a press conference Monday in Se
Nov. 3, 2025 -
After global summits, musical giants take the stage in Korea
As the high-profile Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit concludes Saturday, Korea is set to transform into a global hub of symphonic music in November, led by performances from three of the world’s greatest orchestras — the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. The “symphonic war” begins when 29-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Makela returns to Korea with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which he is to begin leading from 2027. Makela was last
Oct. 31, 2025 -
Servant's obsession reimagines Korea's most famous love story in dance drama
The story of Chun-hyang, Korea’s best-known romance folk tale, follows the love between Yi Mong-ryong, the son of an aristocrat, and Seong Chun-hyang, the daughter of a retired courtesan. The star-crossed lovers’ tale has long been celebrated as a parable of fidelity and defiance against rigid class boundaries. The National Gugak Center will stage “Chunhyang and Hyangdan’s Tale,” a new dance drama that reinterprets this beloved story from a fresh perspective, from Nov. 14 to 16. This adaptation
Oct. 31, 2025 -
Folk hero Hong Gil-dong soars back in 'Madangnori' spectacle with gender-swap twist
Madangnori performed by theater company Michoo is returning to the National Theater of Korea’s year-end madangnori series, offering a joyful Korean-style celebration to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. Directed by Sohn Jin-chaek, with music by Park Bum-hoon, choreography by Guk Su-ho and traditional performance direction by Kim Seong-nyeo -- the original creative team that defined the golden age of madangnori in the 1980s -- the new production “Madangnori Hong Gildong” reimagine
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Three generations of Korean ballet on one stage
Three generations of Korean ballet dancers will share the stage this week — not as fellow dancers, but as choreographer, stager and performer. Together, Hue Young-soon, Kim Ji-young and Kang Hyo-jung embody Korea’s evolving presence on the world’s ballet stages, from its early pioneers to its contemporary stars. The three stars come together for Seoul Metropolitan Ballet’s season finale “Hans van Manen & Hue Young-soon” at Sejong Center’s M Theater, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. The double bill pairs
Oct. 27, 2025 -
15-yr-old S. Korean violinist ranks No. 3 at Paganini competition
South Korean violinist Kim Hyun-seo, 15, has ranked third at the Premio Paganini international violin competition held in Italy, becoming the youngest finalist of the prestigious competition. Kim clinched the third prize at the 58th Premio Paganini competition that took place in Genoa from Oct. 14-26, according to the competition's web site and Kumho Cultural Foundation on Sunday. The violinist also won the Mario Ruminelli prize, given to the finalist with the highest number of votes from the pu
Oct. 26, 2025 -
‘Pure Heart’ dance drama brings Korean folktale on grand scale
The National Jeongdong Theater's Korean dance drama, “Pure Heart,” will travel to Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province this week to mark the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Premiered earlier this year as part of the Seoul-based theater’s 30th anniversary celebration, “Pure Heart” has been invited as an official APEC cultural program, offering international audiences a glimpse into one of the country’s most well-known folktales and the artistry of traditional Korean performance. The cr
Oct. 26, 2025 -
National Theater Company revisits Greek epic in ‘Anthropolis,’ asking why we still need tragedy
Why do we need tragedy? The National Theater Company of Korea asks this question with the opening of its ambitious pentalogy, "Anthropolis," at the Myeongdong Arts Theater in central Seoul. The five-part cycle explores the enduring tragedies of the royal house of Thebes in ancient Greek mythology. Premiered in 2023 by German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig and director Karin Beier, the production has now arrived in Korea, with a different director for each part. The first installment, "Prolog/
Oct. 24, 2025 -
‘Dragon Lady’ of avant-garde music writes her sonic memoir with toy piano
A good craftsman doesn't blame his tools. The saying holds especially true for Margaret Leng Tan, the Singapore-born, New York–based pianist who has played everything from toy pianos and tea pots to coffee cans on her way to becoming one of the world’s leading avant-garde musicians. Also a muse to the legendary composers John Cage and George Crumb, Tan has been at the forefront of American experimental music for more than four decades, continually expanding the very definition of what can be con
Oct. 24, 2025 -
Semyon Bychkov and Czech Philharmonic return with 'Soul of Czech music'
In 2023, the Czech Philharmonic performed in Korea under the baton of its chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov and with an all-Dvorak program. The ensemble was lauded for its refined musicianship and powerful, cohesive sound — setting high expectations for the orchestra's two performances in Seoul next week. On Tuesday, which coincides with the Czech Republic’s Independence Day, Bychkov will lead a performance of Smetana’s "My Homeland," a monumental six-part symphonic poem often de
Oct. 22, 2025 -
Yangson Project confronts 'Ghosts' – the inherited spirits that haunt us
When we fight with someone, it’s never just with that person, according to director Park Ji-hye of the Yangson Project. Behind the person stand their parents, their upbringing, their entire lineage — not just their bodies, but the choices and values passed down through the generations, all chained together in one being. It’s one world colliding with another. Those storied worlds collide in the Yangson Project’s latest production, “Ghosts,” a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s 1881 play that confronts
Oct. 22, 2025 -
Chopin Competition winner Eric Lu to perform in Seoul with KBS Symphony Orchestra
Eric Lu, winner of the 2025 Chopin International Piano Competition, will meet Korean audiences for the first time since his victory in a special collaboration with the KBS Symphony Orchestra and Grammy-winning conductor Leonard Slatkin. The concert, titled “1905 and the Hope for Tomorrow,” will take place at 8 p.m. on Nov. 21 at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul. The Chopin Competition's 17-member jury, on Tuesday, named Lu the winner among 11 finalists. Born in the US to a Taiwanese father and a Chin
Oct. 22, 2025 -
Why veteran pansori singer Lee Ja-ram takes on one-woman battle in 'Prima Facie'
Before stepping into the light, Lee Ja-ram repeats a single line to herself in the dark: “I am Tessa Jane Ensler. I am Tessa Jane Ensler.” For Lee — a veteran pansori singer with more than three decades of experience, who also wears many hats as a musical performer, writer, director and actor — this moment is an unfamiliar challenge: a one-woman play. The 46-year-old performer is hardly new to standing alone onstage. In pansori, a singer commands the space singlehandedly, accompanied only by a g
Oct. 21, 2025 -
Free performances across Gyeongju celebrate vibrant Korean traditions ahead of APEC
As world leaders gather in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom is set to become the stage for a grand celebration of traditional Korean arts. “Seorabeol Pungnyu,” a special cultural project held in conjunction with the summit, brings the spirit of a 1,000 years to life. From Wednesday to Oct. 29, visitors can enjoy free nightly performances at outdoor venues across the city’s historic sites, includin
Oct. 21, 2025 -
From earth, wind and fire, 'Mimesis' reconnects Korean dance with nature
Wielding long swords, the dancers leap and roll across the stage. They strike the floor, spin and slice through the air as the sharp metallic clang of the kkwaenggwari, a small Korean gong, grows faster and louder. The sound of metal fills the air, each note cutting more sharply as steel flashes under the lights. In the final moment, the dancers soar upward and drive their blades straight into the ground, like lightning striking the earth. The scene is from "Janggeommu," or "Long Sword Dance" --
Oct. 20, 2025