Sibling duo rising as musical darlings Akdong MusicianBy Baek Byung-yeulSuccessful sibling partnerships have been rare in Korean pop music, but Lee Chan-hyuk, 16, and her younger sister Lee Soo-hyun, 13, are off to a promising start.The Duo, who call themselves the “Akdong Musicians,” quickly became household names after impressing audiences with their vocal harmonies and light-hearted approach on SBS television’s reality singing contest, “Survival Audition K-Pop Star 2.”The pair’s performance of “Officially Missing You,” a song by Canadian R&B artist Tamia, on the show Sunday drew more than a million hits on website Daum (www.daum.net) just a few hours after it was posted following the live broadcast.It also seemed that the show’s three judges – JYP Entertainment President Park Jin-young, YG Entertainment head Yang Hyun-suk and SM Entertainment singer BOA – couldn’t get enough of them. The Akdong Musician was easily the highest scoring performers on the stage.“Maybe I am getting old. I have never shed tears over any song before while I was Mar 19, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul
No more music from fixed-rate streaming By Jung Min-hoMusic lovers will be paying more for the songs they hear on their smartphones as officials are putting an end to unlimited music streaming based on a fixed-rate payment.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed Tuesday it plans to change the current fixed-rate music streaming system to pay-per-stream on May 1 as part of Park Geun-hye government’s plan to protect the rights and interests of musicians and songwriters.This came following constant requests from music copyright holders to change the fixed charge - 1,800 won ($1.62) for single platform use and 2,400 won for multiples - that limits their share while an increasing music streaming demand only benefits the distributors.Upon implementation, copyright holders will receive 3.6 won every time consumers listen to their songs through the system.“We came up with the cost after considering an average market price for a monthly flat-rate music streaming (6,000 won) and an average number of songs that each consumer clicks (1,000 hits),” the ministry said in a press release.The organization expMar 19, 2013
LG Center to present solo works of Beethoven, Bach Pianist Kim Sun-wook / Courtesy of LG Art CenterBy Do Je-haeThe LG Arts center will feature two renowned Korean artists ― pianist Kim Sun-wook and cellist Yang Sung-won ― in a series of solo recitals of Beethoven's piano sonatas and Bach's suites for unaccompanied cello.Kim, 24, is developing as a serious interpreter of Beethoven since he embarked on a two-year recital series to perform all of the German composer’s sonatas in chronological order, starting February 2012.He performed the earlier sonatas Nos. 1 through 16 last year in four recitals, and will play the remainder this year in four recitals, starting April 13. His final concert on Nov. 21 will feature Beethoven’s final three sonatas.The London-based artist sets himself apart from other Korean pianists of similar status, such as Son Yeol-eum, by focusing on Austro-German composers and studying conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London.Kim first came under the international spotlMar 18, 2013
Music as the glue for diplomatic cohesion Won Hyung-joon, executive director of the Lindenbaum Music Festival, became the third South Korean last month to speak at the Oxford Union, the debating society at Oxford University, following former Samsung Electronics semiconductor guru Hwang Chang-gyu and “Gangnam Style’’ rapper Psy. In his recent appearance at the forum, Hwang shared his ideas of using music and culture as diplomatic tools to improve the turbulent relationship between South and North Korea. This is an edited version of his speech. ― ED. Won Hyung-joon speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Won Hyung-joonLadies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Oxford Union for this invitation, especially your president Maria Rioumine, treasurer Parit Wacharasindhu, and Choi Yeong-hyeon.I am a musician and music is my language. So I am grateful for the chance to stand in front of you and talk about how music teaches you to be more considerate and allow you to communicate betteMar 13, 2013
Psy to unveil new song in concert next month A light emitting diode (LED) screen installed at Seoul Plaza in front of the capital’s city hall shows an image of Psy and the large crowd that gathered to see him at his free concert in October last year. More than 80,000 people went to the event, given to express his gratitude to Korean fans. / YonhapBy Kim Tong-hyungPsy, whose song “Gangnam Style” became an Internet sensation, will perform a solo concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on April 13, YG Entertainment said Thursday.It will be his first concert since appearing in front of 80,000 people at a free performance in front of Seoul City Hall last October to show his gratitude to Korean fans after Gangam Style peaked as a worldwide hit.Entertainment industry sources say that Psy’s concert next month, titled ``Happening,’’ will double as a launch for his new song aimed at a global audience, although YG didn’t confirm this.``Psy’s new song and choreography are nearly completed. The next concert will mark the global launch and the agency planMar 8, 2013
Bohemian blasphemy Yamagata Tweakster in the music video for “My Sublime Onanie.” / Courtesy of Cinematic Person The strange and delightful world of Yamagata Tweakster By Kim Young-jin Shortly before 11 p.m. last Friday, the soon-to-be-shuttered Itaewon club and bar Ccot Ddang was lively in the way one would expect of a venue that caters to the indie crowd. Students in black-rimmed glasses leaned against chipped, pastel-colored walls, exhaling plumes of smoke. In a sunken, adjacent room, they swayed to churning guitar rock that’s probably just edgy enough to keep the major labels away.As much as this bohemian reverie is a rarity in Korea, where music is judged solely on commercial viability, nights there are interesting and evolve in unexpected ways. Anticipation waMar 6, 2013
Van Cliburn (July 12, 1934-Feb. 27, 2013) Pianist Van Cliburn performs to a packed audience in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in April 1958 during the first International Tchaikovsky Competition. / AP-YonhapIconic US pianist credited for spreading peace through musicBy Do Je-hae Rarely has the death of a classical pianist invited such a flood of tributes — even from heads of state — and media attention as that of Van Cliburn, the legendary U.S. pianist and Cold War cultural envoy who passed away last week.The musical peacemaker died at the age of 78 last Wednesday after losing his fight to bone cancer.Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama were some of the many dignitaries who expressed their sadness at the passing of the iconic Texan artist, who became an overnight sensation after winning the inaugural Tchaikovsky CompetitionMar 4, 2013
New venue, same old rockRadiohead’s Thom Yorke performs at last year’s Jisan Valley Rock Festival. / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Young-jinThe annual Jisan Valley Rock Festival that has brought in acts such as Radiohead, Muse and Patti Smith has a new home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.The event will relocate this year after sponsor CJ E&M signed a memorandum of understanding with Ansan City last month. Organizers say the move is a long-term investment that will boost local tourism and the event’s recognition value abroad.The Ansan Valley Rock Festival — slated this year for July 26 to 28 — will be held on Daebu Island in the West Sea, which falls within Ansan’s muniFeb 27, 2013
Songstress Yamagata to make Korea debutRachael YamagataBy Kim Young-jinKorean fans of American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata will get their first chance to see her perform in Seoul. The acclaimed artist will play two shows, Saturday and Sunday, at the Samsung Hall of Ewha Womans University.The Japanese-American artist has won a following with her intimate, piano-backed tunes that recall Carole King and Joni Mitchell.She broke through with her 2004 album “Happenstance,” which included the songs “Be Be Your Love” and “Duet,” both popular here.Her 2012 album “Heavyweight” won praise for its confessional tone and intimate arrangements.The singer has toured with acts such as the Swell Season, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams, Sara Bareilles, Adam Cohen and David Gray. More recently she has played with songwriter Steve Earle for a Woody Guthrie tribute show, and also performed for President Barack Obama at the White House. Fans of U.S. dramas may be unwittingly familiar with Yamagata’s music as it has appeared on the soundtracks for such shows as “Grey’s AnatFeb 22, 2013
Emptying nostalgia's vaultThespians seek the musical resurrection of the late folk singer Kim Kwang-seokIt was 17 years ago when folk singer Kim Kwang-seok was found dead in his Seoul home. That was precisely the moment his body of work was injected with new life, with the wider acceptance of his songs elevating him from a strictly blue-collar hero to one of the country’s most influential artists across genres and age groups. But has Kim’s lucrative posthumous career reached a point where overexposure is beginning to be a problem? This seems to be the question as the country’s ever-opportunistic musical theater industry tries to sell the public on two big-money projects on Kim at once. Actor Lee Jung-yeol sings one of Kim Kwang-seok’s songs during a press event on the new musical, The Days. / YonhapAt a crossroads with Kim Kwang-seokMusical garners rapt aFeb 21, 2013
