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'For me, performing is like breathing': pianist Paik Hae-sun
Pianist Paik Hae-sun, who has balanced her dual career as a soloist and educator, will reunite with the Belgian National Orchestra at its Korean debut next month. She last performed with the orchestra when she won fourth place at the 1991 Queen Elisabeth Competition, which is still the highest result for a South Korean pianist, matched only by Han Ji-ho in 2016. Since then, Paik, 60, has carved out a distinguished career: she became a laureate of nearly every major international competition she
Aug. 19, 2025 -
Eyes say everything in Seoul Metropolitan Ballet double bill
It was only a five-minute rehearsal. But when ballet dancer Choi Young-gyu placed one hand on his hip and stepped into the sharp, pulsing rhythm of a tango, the effect was unmistakable. His gaze carried the intensity of the dance, his chemistry with his partner was evident, and his stage presence came through even in the briefest of moments. The glimpse gave a hint of things to come at Seoul Metropolitan Ballet’s double bill, opening Friday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and runnin
Aug. 19, 2025 -
Young and now: KBS Symphony brings Gen-Z energy to classical stage
Once seen as formal and old-fashioned, classical music in Korea is drawing younger fans through YouTube, social media and fresh programming. The buzzword “classic-hip” captures the shift — classical is now “today’s music.” Reflecting this, the KBS Symphony Orchestra will feature soloists born in the 1990s in four concerts in the second half of this year, pairing them with renowned conductors. In November, it will also present a concert with the newly crowned winner of the International Chopin Pi
Aug. 16, 2025 -
Kim Soo-ha returns to West End with 'Swag Age' — in hanbok and in Korean
Musical stage performer Kim Soo-ha recently achieved what many actors in the field dream of -- playing Mimi in “Rent,” Eurydice in “Hadestown,” Aida in “Aida” and Eponine in “Les Miserables,” and winning two best actress awards at the Korean Musical Awards for her role as Mimi in 2021 and Eurydice in 2024. She also won the best new female talent in 2021 for her role as Jin in "Swag Age" in 2020, which marked her Korean debut. This September, the 31-year-old will return to London’s West End -- wh
Aug. 14, 2025 -
When light embraces classical music
A new classical festival running Aug. 8-24 at Theatre des Lumieres in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, invites audiences to immerse themselves in music and visuals alike. Led by soprano Hong Hye-ran as artistic director, Classic Weekends presents eight performances that marry live music with large-scale media art projections. The venue, located within the Walkerhill Hotel complex, is a 4,958-square-meter space with a 21-meter ceiling, equipped to project 360-degree visuals across its walls and ceilin
Aug. 11, 2025 -
Gwanghwamun to become dance stage for late summer nights
The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will transform Gwanghwamun Square into a vast open-air dance floor for the 2025 Sejong Summer Festival, set to run from Aug. 28-31. This year’s lineup spans shuffle dance, Korean contemporary choreography, street dance, and swing and jazz, with each evening devoted to a distinct genre. The festivities kick off on Aug. 28 with “Funk & Shuffle Night,” pairing high-energy shuffle moves with acrobatic breakdance to live funk rhythms. Leading the charge will
Aug. 8, 2025 -
Two dancers collide in dance about 'uri' -- us and cages that confine
When dancer-choreographers Haeni and Kristian Mensa, who goes by the stage name Mr. Kriss, walked into the rehearsal studio for their interview, it was hard not to notice that both were dressed in earth-toned brown tops and baggy pants. Asked if they had coordinated for the shoot, they laughed. It was pure coincidence — and not for the first time. “Yeah, everything. We don’t need to speak, but we are connected,” the two said in near unison. The two artists first met in Seoul in early 2024, intro
Aug. 8, 2025 -
Three-way concert to explore depth of the male voice
Three internationally acclaimed Korean male vocalists — bass Youn Kwang-chul, 60, bass-baritone Samuel Youn, 54, and baritone Kim Gi-hoon, 33 — are set to share the stage for a rare joint concert later this month. Titled “Sing Low and Soft,” the performance will spotlight the richness of low male voices in a landscape often dominated by sopranos and tenors. The first half of the concert features arias by Mozart, Verdi and Wagner, with piano accompaniment. Among those pieces each singer will perf
Aug. 5, 2025 -
Enjoy summer nights with traditional music at Umyeonsan Music Festival
The National Gugak Center is bringing traditional Korean music outdoors this summer with the 2025 Umyeonsan Music Festival, held every Saturday evening Aug. 23 through Sept. 20 at its outdoor Yeonhui Madang stage. A flagship seasonal event, the festival offers a romantic escape from urban life, filling summer nights with traditional Korean music and performances that bridge past and present. On Aug. 23, the festival opens with "A Tiger from Mudeungsan Is Here?," an original folk play by the Gwan
Aug. 5, 2025 -
'Sleep No More' brings immersive ‘Macbeth’-inspired noir to Seoul
The immersive theater sensation "Sleep No More" has arrived in Seoul, launching preview performances ahead of its official premiere on Aug. 21. A hypnotic, wordless reimagining of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" set in a 1930s noir universe, the production transforms the historic Daehan Cinema in Chungmuro into the McKithan Hotel, a sprawling, dimly lit labyrinth built exclusively for the show. The experience draws additional inspiration from classic noir films, particularly the works of Alfred Hitchcoc
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Star street dancer Aiki finds new expression in musical debut ‘Frida’
Aiki, best known for her breakout on Mnet’s “Street Woman Fighter” and for her popularity as a TikTok influencer, stepped onto an entirely new scene, making her musical debut in the original Korean production, “Frida.” For the star dancer, who has long gravitated toward spaces “where music, dance and song exist,” the stage itself was familiar. But embodying a completely different character was new territory — one she described as “therapeutic.” “I realized how limited I had been in expressing em
July 31, 2025 -
Jeonju Sori Festival mixes tradition, experimentation and summer nights
The Jeonju International Sori Festival will return Aug. 13-17, filling five days with 57 programs and 69 performances of traditional Korean music, jazz, classical, contemporary music, and more. This year’s theme, “Echoes from the Homeland,” promises programming for audiences of all generations, with events staged at the Sori Arts Center and 14 cities and counties across North Jeolla Province. The festival opens with "Pansori Theater Shim Cheong," a co-production with the National Changgeuk Compa
July 30, 2025 -
SAC Int'l Music Festival brings global and emerging talent to Seoul for six days
From Aug. 5 to 10, the Seoul Arts Center will host the fifth edition of its International Music Festival -- its most expansive yet. The 2025 festival boasts 11 concerts featuring artists invited from around the world, alongside five chamber ensembles selected through a competitive call, and a lineup that spans symphonic powerhouses, intimate baroque ensembles and contemporary innovators. Launched in 2021 as a summer platform for local talent, the festival has since evolved into a full-fledged in
July 29, 2025 -
8 actors, 1 role: Experimental play 'Rosetta' to open in Seoul
Eight actors will take turns playing a single role in the experimental production "Rosetta," set to open in Seoul next month. The National Theater Company of Korea said "Rosetta," co-produced with the National Asian Culture Center in Gwangju, will run Aug. 23 to 31 at the Myeongdong Theater. The play follows the life of Rosetta Sherwood Hall, an American doctor and missionary who devoted herself to advancing modern medicine and education for women in Korea. The story follows Rosetta from the tim
July 25, 2025 -
Demon boy band? These ballet dancers had already cast their spell
In the first half of this year, no ballet in Korea stirred up more buzz than “Gat,” a 70-minute contemporary ballet inspired by traditional Korean hats. Created by the newly established Yunbyul Ballet Company, “Gat” completed a six-city national tour, selling out every seat along the way — a rare feat for a fledgling company barely a year old. The second run, following its 2024 premiere, drew a wave of fans eager to see the ballerinos who rose to stardom through Mnet’s hit dance competition "Sta
July 23, 2025