A cappella group b vocal starts Korea tour Spanish a cappella quintet b vocal / Courtesy of SPA EntertainmentBy Park Jin-haiSpanish a cappella quintet b vocal will embark on a Korean tour, Wednesday.For the sixth consecutive year, b vocal, the winners of the 2010 jury and audience awards at the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival in New York, will start its Korea tour under the concept of “Do It A Cappella!” at the Seoul Plaza Hotel, central Seoul. The group’s repertoire spans from classics to pop to heavy metal.As a finale to the concert the group will perform a medley of songs by Big Bang, b vocal’s favorite K-pop band. “We choose songs, through which we can communicate and connect with our audiences. We try to find songs that the audiences would enjoy most,” the group said in a recent email interview with The Korea Times. “We also include our favorite songs, which we would like to share with the audience. One of our favorite pieces in the repertoire is our Korean medley.”Formed in 1997 with five unlikely people from different professions ― lawyer, physics Jun 14, 2016
Soprano Lee Ji-yeun to hold recital Poster for Soprano Lee Ji-yeun’s solo recital / Courtesy of Seoul Media GroupSoprano Lee Ji-yeun will hold a recital at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday.Lee will be performing 14 pieces by composer Lee An-sam who writes gagok, a genre of vocal music using lyrics from a poem. The concert is hosted by Seoul Media Group and sponsored by Dongin Music.Lee Ji-yeun, who is currently an instructor at Easy Vocal Music Academy, graduated from the Juilliard School and has won numerous awards in international competitions. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. For more information, call 1800-9823.Jun 14, 2016
Cho Seong-jin to record debut album with Noseda Cho Seong-jinBy Park Jin-haiCho Seong-jin, winner of this year’s International Chopin Piano Competition, will release his debut album with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda, Deutsche Grammophon announced, Monday. He had initially planned to make his debut studio recording with conductor Chung Myung-whun, former music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO).Cho was scheduled to start recording Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Chopin’s four Ballades in April under the baton of maestro Chung and the Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra where Chung has been principal guest conductor since the 2012-13 season. Chung reportedly canceled the recording because of personal reasons.Also Chung will no longer conduct Cho’s Chopin performance with the SPO at Seoul Arts Center, July 15. He will be replaced by French conductor Yan Pascal Torteller.The pianist will be performing the award-winning Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 that shot him to fame last October by making him the first Korean to win Jun 13, 2016
'K-Pop Star' prodigy releases debut album Singer Lee Jin-ah, right, speaks during a showcase introducing her debut album “Appetizer” at M Concert Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Antenna MusicBy Kim Jae-heun Singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah released her debut single “Appetizer” Thursday. Lee became known after finishing second runner-up in season four of television audition series “K-Pop Star”. “Appetizer” is the first of a three-part series to be released this year.“After I finished the ‘K-Pop Star’ audition series, I joined Antenna Music and spent time practicing piano and writing songs,” said Lee during a press meeting at M Concert Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Thursday.“I studied jazz piano more deeply and produced commercial tunes as well as soundtracks for a soap operas before releasing my new single. I wanted to do ‘toy-like’ music and it is meaningful to me that I am presenting it for the first time to an audience.” While meaning small and cute like children's playthings, Toy is the name of the solo prJun 10, 2016
Exo returns with 'monstrous' song From left, S.M. Entertainment’s boy band, EXO, members Kai, Suho, Chen, Xiumin and Baekhyun pose during a press conference for their third album “EX’ACT” at SMTOWN in COEX Artium, Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heun Boy band EXO released its third album ― “EX’ACT” ― on Wednesday, with a return to their earlier emphasis on choreography. It has been a year since the S.M. Entertainment group produced a full-length album.The new album has nine songs, including the main tracks “Monster” and “Lucky One.” It is the first time an entertainment company’s artist has selected two feature songs.“Monster and Lucky One are of two very different genres,” the group’s leader, Suho, said in a press conference at SM TOWN in Coex Atrium, Seoul. “Many people like EXO but there are also those who don’t like our music style. So we came up with two songs.“Our track Monster is really a monster song. Its sound is grand. The song itself is dark but it blends with our fresh voiceJun 8, 2016
K-pop's Eric Nam gets in tune with American duo Eric Nam / Courtesy of Eric Nam's InstagramBy Kim Da-heeK-pop singer Eric Nam will release an English song ― in collaboration with American electronic dance music duo KOLAJ ― on Thursday, his agency said.“Into You” will be released through iTunes, Spotify and other music websites, according to CJ E&M, Tuesday.“The collaboration was made because KOLAJ was attracted to Eric Nam’s clear and refreshing vocals,” a CJ E&M official said. “The co-produced track fits well with the ‘falling deep into you’ concept. The song’s music video will be released early next month."Nam, a Korean-American, debuted in 2011 through MBC TV’s open audition program. He has built a solid reputation with several digital singles and TV appearances.KOLAJ / Courtesy of KOLAJ's FacebookKOLAJ ― singer-songwriter Teesa Houston and producer/songwriter Mike McGarity ― debuted in 2015 with the single “The Touch.” It recorded over a million hits on Spotify and 2 million on SoundCloud. Jun 7, 2016
Opera Gala opens at Seoul Arts Center Jang Il-beomAn Opera Gala concert will be held at the opera theater of Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul for a two-day run this Friday and Saturday. The concert will be accompanied by narration from renowned music critic Jang Il-beom who will add friendly explanations about each aria for those unfamiliar with the musical genre. The concert features a vocal ensemble, choir, orchestration and ballet all on one stage. Performances include diverse opera repertoires from France, Germany and Italy such as "Tannhauser" by Wagner, "Il Trovatore" by Verdi, "Tosca" by Puccini, "Orphee aux Enfers" and "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" by Offenbach and "Faust" by Gounod. The concerts start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Visit sac.or.kr for more information.Jun 1, 2016
Singer to take on top go player Lee Se-dol Lee Se-dol, left, and Kim Jang-hoon / Courtesy of Cho Artist Group ManagementSinger Kim Jang-hoon will play a go match against champion Lee Se-dol this month on the island of Dokdo, Kim’s agency announced Tuesday.Cho Artist Group Management said that Kim will hold a match against Lee, a professional 9-dan go player, on the disputed remote Korean island between June 28-30, depending on weather conditions.“Lee agreed to Kim’s proposal for the match as he is proud to promote Korean go to the world,” Kim’s agency said. “Lee also said that he sees no problem holding the match on Dokdo, which is loved by Koreans.”Kim will pair up with a female professional go player and play against Lee paired up with an amateur player.All proceeds will go toward promoting go nationwide and other charities.Kim, an amateur 6-dan go player, is a goodwill ambassador of the Korea Baduk Association and appeared as a commentator for the live broadcast of the historic matches between Lee and computer program AlphaGo earlier this year.May 31, 2016
K-pop boy band EXO drops hints about new album K-pop boy band EXO / Korea Times fileBy Kim Da-heeK-pop boy band EXO gave some hints about its upcoming album at a fan meeting in Shanghai on Saturday.The group’s four members ― Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun ― attended a promotional event for hat brand “HAT’S ON” for which they model.In response to a fan’s question about the band’s new album, to be released in June, Kai confidently responded, “The new album is something unusual, but great.”“We’ve prepared a powerful performance that fans can really look forward to.”May 30, 2016
Hip-hop group Dynamic Duo to kick off concert tour Korean hip-hop group Dynamic Duo will play in five cities in Korea. / Courtesy of Amoeba CultureBy Kim Da-heeKorean hip-hop group Dynamic Duo will perform in five cities in Korea, production agency InterPark ENT said Monday.The group, comprising popular musicians Gaeko and Choiza, decided to hold the first solo concert in three years to give thanks to their fans.They will play in Seoul, Busan, Gawngju, Daejeon and Daegu in an updated version of their North American tour “Dynamic Duo Grand Carnival,” which ended on March 27.The Korean tour will start from Seoul on July 23-24 and end at Daegu on August 6.“To mark the 12th anniversary of their debut, Dynamic Duo is working hard to make their first Korean concerts in three years their best,” the agency said. “The two are really looking forward to meeting fans.”Tickets will be on sale from June 1. May 30, 2016
