First vineyard-style music hall opens A view of Lotte Concert Hall on the 8th floor of Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul / Courtesy of Lotte Concert HallBy Yun Suh-youngKorea’s first classical music concert hall with vineyard style seating will open in Seoul at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil's Lotte World Mall in eastern Seoul.The concert hall which is due to open on Aug. 18 is the first vineyard style concert hall in Korea and the first classic music hall opening since the one at Seoul Arts Center opened in 1988.The "vineyard style" refers to a style where the audience seats surround the center stage so that the viewers can enjoy an intimate auditory experience. Such style is adopted by several distinguished concert halls around the world such as the Berliner Philharmonie in Germany, the Philharmonie de Paris in France, and Suntory Hall in Japan, whose acoustics were designed by Nagata Acoustics which also designed the acoustics for the Lotte Concert Hall.The vineyard style originated from an architectural style adopted from theJul 4, 2016
Brave Girls become sexy in 'High Heels' Members of Brave Girls pose at a press conference at Ilchi Art Hall, southern Seoul, Monday. / YonhapHyeranBy Kim Jae-heun K-pop girl group Brave Girls released its third mini-album “High Heels,” just four months after its last release “Deepened,” holding a showcase performance for the press at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Monday. This time, Brave Girls sought to change everything from their music style to their costumes, aiming to top the music charts.It has been five years since the group debuted with five members under the record label Brave Entertainment led by hit-song maker Brave Brothers. Many thought it would only be a matter of time for the girl band to gain popularity, similar to Starship Entertainment’s successful act Sistar which found success with songs written by Brave Brothers such as “Push Push,” “So Cool,” and “Alone.”However, Brave Girls failed to gain recognition as one of the top girl groups and took a four-year break after releasing their second mini-album in February 2012. When Jun 28, 2016
Lotte Hotel to pay W200 mil. for canceling Ne-Yo concert Ne-YoBy Yun Suh-youngA court ordered Lotte Hotel & Resorts, Tuesday, to pay 200 million won in compensation to an entertainment agency for canceling a concert for which the hotel had hired the agency.Lotte abruptly canceled the concert of R&B singer Ne-Yo which the entertainment agency had been preparing on behalf of the hotel, after negotiations failed with hip-hop singer 50 Cent.The hotel initially had ordered the agency to book a concert featuring 50 Cent in 2014, but due to the rapper’s schedule the agency contacted Ne-Yo instead. Ne-Yo's agency confirmed he was available and the Korean agency spent over 100 million won signing with Ne-Yo's agency and renting a concert hall.Lotte Hotel, however, abruptly and unilaterally informed the agency that it was pulling its financial backing for the concert. The agency, facing huge losses, filed a suit against the hotel asking for 200 million won in compensation.Jun 28, 2016
Richard Marx mesmerizes Seoul with velvety romantic songs By Park Jin-haiThe longstanding popularity of Richard Marx was easily proven, as the entrance to the concert hall was crowded with throngs of people who wanted to relish the moment by taking pictures on the photo wall that bore the singer’s name. Richard Marx, American singer-songwriter best known for his love song “Now and Forever,” came to Korea for his first solo concert in 21 years.For the second “An Intimate Evening” series concert organized by Conrad Seoul, the king of love ballads in the late 1980s and early 1990s, who is currently on a worldwide acoustic solo tour, performed Friday evening.He and his acoustic guitar opened the night with “Endless Summer Nights” released in January 1988 as the third single from his debut solo album.The singer was in his early 30s when he visited Korea for a 1995 solo concert and now he returns in his early 50s. His voice was not as powerful as his old days, but his aged husky vocals added depths to his songs. Saying “Gamsahamnida,” the Korean word for “thank youJun 26, 2016
Crossover band La Baie mixes Chopin, electropop Denis Sungho, right, of Crossover band “La Baie” / Courtesy of the artistBy Park Jin-haiClassical guitarist Denis Sungho Janssens, who received much attention here for his musical talent as well as his personal background as a Korean adoptee to Belgium, has formed the unique crossover band La Baie.The trio of producer and guitarist Janssens, jazz vocalist Kim Hye-mi and pianist Park Jin-woo recently released their first project album “La Baie,” the French word for a bay, named after the band.Like a bay, a body of water connected to an ocean, Janssens says Chopin’s melody is connected to the electropop his band plays.“La Baie is in a totally different musical genre from the mainstream and I coined the phrase ‘chic and pop’ for it,” said Janssens during a recent interview with The Korea Times. “We decided to go into a market that is very different from the mass market. It’s new classical. In Europe, this kind of music is very famous, but in Asia it is not well known. We are pioneers in this kind of music.”Janssens,Jun 26, 2016
'I would like to give Kim Jong-un piano lessons' World-renowned pianist and Korean War veteran Seymour Bernstein holds the diary he kept during the war, at a press conference at Hotel Grand Ambassador Seoul, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kim Jae-heunWorld-renowned pianist and veteran of the Korean War (1950-53) Seymour Bernstein is willing to visit Pyongyang in North Korea to perform there. The pianist also hopes for an opportunity to give music lessons to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.“If North Korea invites me to their country, I would be very happy to go,” said Bernstein during a press conference at Hotel Grand Ambassador Seoul, Friday.“And I would like to meet the president and tell him that he ought to study music and he ought to take piano lessons. I would give him his first piano lesson to civilize him, because it seems to be the only thing that interests him is basketball players.“Music is the most civilized and harmonized experience that people could have. Because in order to be a musician, you have to understand your emotional feelings, your intellectual feelings and physical coJun 24, 2016
PyeongChang music festival to cool summer Violinist Chung Kyung-wha performs at last year’s Daegwallyeong Music Festival. / Courtesy of PyeongChang Music Festival and SchoolAnnual classical music event to kick off July 12By Yun Suh-youngThe 2016 PyeongChang Music Festival & School will open July 12 and run until Aug. 9, easing the summer heat during the summer holiday.Starting this year, the festival changed its name to include “PyeongChang” to promote the region to a wider audience for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The Korean name of the festival is PyeongChang Daegwallyeong (Great Mountains) Music Festival. The festival is hosted by Gangwon Province and the Gangwon Arts and Culture Foundation.Unlike the theme of the past three years that focused on regions in Europe such as Italy, Spain, France and Scandinavia, this year’s festival focuses on legendary artists whose surnames start with the letter B. The theme of the festival is “The Immortal Classics: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Beyond,” focusing on pieces composed by these three legends and also introducing pieces by otJun 21, 2016
Korean wins conducting competition Conductor Park June-sung / Courtesy of Aram Khachaturian International CompetitionBy Yun Suh-youngSouth Korean conductor Park June-sung was awarded the top prize for conducting at the 12th Aram Khachaturian International Competition held in Armenia, along with Miran Vaupotic from Croatia.Park also won the competition’s three special prizes ― Orchestra Award, Best Interpretation of Aram Khachaturian and the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra Special Prize. The two winners will split a cash prize of $10,000 and receive opportunities for concert engagements until 2018.The competition was held at the country’s capital Yerevan June 6-14. The winners were announced through the website.The Aram Khachaturian International Competition, which was established in 2003 in commemoration of the 100th birthday of Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, has been held June 6-14 every year since its foundation. The competition is hosted jointly by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, the Aram Khachaturian Competition Cultural Foundation and the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. The comJun 20, 2016
Pianist Cho Seong-jin honored to work with London Symphony South Korea's award-winning pianist Cho Seong-jin said it was an honor to record an album with the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the world's most celebrated orchestras.The 21-year-old prodigy recorded his first studio album at London's Abbey Road Studios on June 11-12 under an exclusive contract with the global record label Deutsche Grammophon.He performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra led by the Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda there. The album is scheduled to come out in November, two months after he finishes recording Chopin's four ballades."I was really nervous because this was my first time to record a studio album. But it was interesting and was a good experience. It's an honor to do it with the London Symphony. I also was pleased to work with Noseda," he told reporters after the recording.For the album, the winner of last year's prestigious International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Poland repeatedly played the 40-minute-long concerto for nine hours during the two days."I played it the same way I usually do," he said, adding that the differencJun 20, 2016
K-pop singer Roy Kim releases Chinese track K-pop singer Roy Kim / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Da-heeK-pop singer Roy Kim will release a Chinese track and hold his first solo concert in Taiwan next month, his agency said Friday.CJ E&M said Kim will release a cover version of “Cloudy Day,” a Taiwanese hit song by Stefanie Sun, on Friday. According to the agency, it is the first time a Korean singer has covered a Taiwanese hit in Chinese.The singer, 22, will hold a solo concert in Taiwan on July 24 to thank Taiwanese fans.Kim was named “Hit FM Favorite Foreign Artist” at the 2015 HITO Music Awards in Taipei. He also made headlines through a duet with William Wei, a well-known folk-rock singer-songwriter in Taiwan.Meanwhile, the singer, who rose to stardom in 2012 after winning singing competition show "Super Star K: Season 4" on Mnet, is scheduled to hold eight concerts from July 16 to August 13 in Korea. Jun 17, 2016
