Pentaport Rock Festival conquers heat Nell performs at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in Songdo, Incheon, Friday. Courtesy of Incheon Pentaport Rock FestivalBy Yun Suh-youngINCHEON ― The scorching heat couldn't beat the passion of rock fans who flocked to the port city of Incheon, Friday, the day that kicked off the Pentaport Rock Festival which ran through Sunday.The Songdo Pentaport Park, which was built specifically for the festival in 2013, was slowly filling in with participants starting from a little before 12 p.m. on Friday, when the first concert was scheduled.Visitors carried a load of bags with them to nestle themselves at a good spot. Some were ready to camp out in the tents available in a corner of the festival venue. At the entrance, several visitors were spotted dragging in-flight carry-on bags with them."I see people coming from all over the country. The previous customer came from Daegu and they said they booked the tickets five months ago and will be staying at a hotel nearby the festival venue," said a taxi driver running to and from the festival venue and the subway station to drive visitors Aug 14, 2016
Summer classical concert highlights The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing on the outdoor stage of Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Aug. 15. / Courtesy of SPOBy Yun Suh-youngIn the scorching heat, there's nothing like a cool refreshing breeze. Much like we need a breeze on a hot day, there are musical genres that offer respite, such as the classics. There are several classical concerts coming up in August to look out for. Summer Classic by Youth Orchestra at Sejong CenterPoster of Summer Classic to be performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 13Classical music performances will start off this weekend at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 13 with two performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.The Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra will offer an "easy classical performance" for both parents and children to enjoy during the summer vacation. The 100-member orchestra, conducted by Kim Ji-hwan, will perform pieces representative of the 20th century such as G. Holst's The Planet Jupiter, A. Marquez's Danzon No. 2, Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite "Lullaby" and "FinaleAug 9, 2016
Opera festival holds auditions The Seoul Arts Center and Korea Opera Festival are conducting an audition to recruit performers for the 8th Korea Opera Festival to be held in May 2017, at the Seoul Arts Center.Singers will be recruited for three performances ― “Jamyeonggo” by Kim Dal-sung; “Tosca” by Puccini; and “Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci” by P. Mascagni and R. Leoncavallo.Anyone with a B.A. degree from a four-year music institution or a degree equivalent to it is eligible for the audition. Applicants must prepare one aria for two performances and two roles for each of the performances. The registration deadline is Aug. 27. The application form can be downloaded at www.koreaoperafestival.com or www.sac.or.kr.The Seoul Arts Center and Korea Opera Festival has conducted an audition every year since 2014.Aug 2, 2016
Sarah Brightman captivates fans with 'Nella Fantasia' Sarah Brightman / Courtesy of Eccess ENTBy Park Jin-haiAs the sound of wind meets the audience and the stage gleams with an eerie red light, Sarah Brightman, one of the world’s most popular English classical crossover singers, appears on stage in a glittering silver dress and sings the theme song of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.”As she escalates her pitch one after another to the call of the Phantom saying “Sing, my Angel of music! Sing for me!,” the audience of 3,000 remained still, all eyes and ears fixed on the singing diva. Her voice had such power, striking hard and strong at once and yet soft and tender as well.Brightman, often dubbed the English popera singer with a heavenly voice, kicked off her “Gala With Orchestra” tour at Jamsil Olympic Hall in Seoul, Sunday.Returning to Korea for the first time in three years, she was joined by a 60-piece orchestra and amazing guests including Mario Frangoulis, with whom Brightman has performed duets in musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera. Joining the two singers were pianJul 25, 2016
BewhY says faith led him to crown Rapper BewhY performs “Fake” during the final round of the fifth season of hip-hop survival show “Show Me the Money” last Friday. / Courtesy of CJ E&M'Show Me the Money' winner tells people to believe in themselvesBy Kim Jae-heunAfter two months of nerve-racking scenes on Mnet’s hip-hop survival competition “Show Me the Money,” rapper BewhY ― who rose as the strongest contender early on this season ― grasped the champion title of the show’s fifth season last Friday.The rapper said his passion and sincerity for the music and his faith in winning made his dream come true.The 23-year-old musician, also known as Lee Byung-yoon, participated in the same competition last season but failed to pass the third round. When he returned a year later, BewhY had not only improved in his rapping skills but also returned more confident. “I still don’t understand (why I lost) but my skill improved and, especially, my attitude changed a lot,” said BewhY during a press meeting at M Academy in Gangnam, southerJul 20, 2016
Jisan Valley Rock Festival kicks off Friday Red Hot Chili Peppers / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Park Jin-haiJisan Valley Rock Festival, one of Korea’s two biggest rock festivals, will kick off Friday, attracting festival-goers to an off-season ski resort for three days of great music.The 2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival, celebrating its seventh year, will bring in some 70 musicians and their fans to the Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, from July 22 to 24.The festival will feature American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, returning to Korea after 14 years with their 11th album released in June, as well as Russian-German DJ Zedd and English electronic duo Disclosure.Other highlights include English rock band Kula Shaker, who recently released their fifth album "K 2.0" to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary, plus Scottish rock acts Travis and Biffy Clyro. Music lovers can also see Birdy, a talented 20-year-old British singer-songwriter who at the age of 12 won the 2008 Open Mic UK music competition.Various local musicians ranging from ballad to hip-hop, R&B and electronica will Jul 20, 2016
'I feel dead' Park Hyun-chung, former CEO of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), poses before an interview. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukPark Hyun-jung talks about struggle with maestro Chung By Oh Young-jinPark Hyun-jung, former CEO of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, can’t but think that the past year-and-a-half counts for the worst nightmare of her 54-year life.Late in 2014, Park, a Harvard Ph.D. in sociology, was forced to endure accusations by her own employees of sexually harassing one employee and bullying many of them habitually. The media made a big issue of it and she resigned without a chance of having her side of the story heard.“It was like having the letter A branded on my forehead,” she said in a recent interview. “If there is something that is deader than death as we know, I have experienced it.”In a bizarre twist of events, police cleared her of the accusations. Now the tables are turned with the accusers becoming the accused for conspiring to frame her. The case is now pending at the prosecution for arraignment on defamation.So did this exonerJul 20, 2016
Time for truth has come: Maestro Chung Myung-whun By Kwon Mee-yooChung Myung-whunMaestro Chung Myung-whun, the former director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), arrived in Korea Wednesday morning to be questioned by the police and the prosecution for alleged defamation.Chung said the truth will be revealed soon, upon arriving at Incheon International Airport. "I don’t think I am being investigated but the time for truth has come," Chung said in the airport’s arrival hall after arriving from Munich, Germany.The maestro has been in a legal dispute with former SPO CEO Park Hyun-jung and will be questioned at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Thursday.Park was accused of verbally and sexually abusing SPO employees, but the police dismissed charges against her in August 2015. Park sued Chung for defamation, claiming that he represented the allegations as true in interviews.Chung countercharged Park with false accusations and libel.After the prosecutor’s investigation Thursday, Chung is scheduled to show up at Seoul Jongno Police Station Friday for allegations of misappropriation while he was Jul 13, 2016
GFriend ready to sweep charts again with 'LOL' Members of girl group GFriend perform the tunes from their new album “LOL” during a media showcase event at YES 24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Source MusicBy Kim Jae-heunK-pop girl group GFriend released their first full-length studio album “LOL,” Monday, ready to sweep music charts and set another record this summer.After its release Monday at midnight, the first single, “Navillera,” topped seven online music charts, including Melon, Mnet, and Olleh Music.LOL also topped the iTunes’ album charts in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, establishing GFriend as one of the forefront girl groups of hallyu, or the Korea wave. It also ranked second in Thailand, third in Taiwan and eighth in Indonesia.“It is a result of a good song, good choreography and support from the staff all combined together,” said member Sowon during a media showcase event at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul. “It is stressful for us, each time we release a new album, since all our earlier songs have all beeJul 12, 2016
Wonder Girls return with 'Why So Lonely' to celebrate their 10th anniversary Wonder GirlsBy Kim Jae-heunK-pop girl band Wonder Girls of JYP Entertainment Tuesday released its the new digital single “Why So Lonely,” the first title song produced by the team members on their own this time, not by their chief producer Park Jin-young.Park has been writing hit songs like “Tell Me,” “So Hot” and “Nobody” for the group since its debut in 2007. When Wonder Girls decided to challenge a new genre last August, Park also wrote the main song for the girl group.However, the chief producer agreed the team is ready to come up with its own title track this time.“When we were working on our last album, Park told us that he won’t have to write songs for us anymore,” said Yeeun during an interview at STUDIO J in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on June 23. “We all have different taste in music, so we worked as a group of two. Sunmi and Hyerim wrote the song and Yubin worked on rap.”The main song adopts reggae-pop dance genre with addictive guitar riff and changes of various rhythms. Yeeun said the group referred to Jul 5, 2016
