Summer Breeze Festival Looks to Make SplashBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter The first-ever Summer Breeze Festival is hoping to make a splash this August, by bringing some of the hottest foreign rock and alternative acts to Seoul. Like the Pentaport Rock Festival in July, Summer Breeze Festival is patterned after other successful summer music festivals such as the Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom; the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Lollapalooza in the United States, and the Fuji Rock Festival and Summer Sonic in Japan. Recognizing the growing trend of international rock music festivals, concert promoter B4H Entertainment sees an opportunity for Summer Breeze Festival to make its mark not just in Korea, but around the region. Summer Breeze will be held on Aug. 7-8 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. B4H Entertainment's Ally S. Yoon believes the Summer Breeze Festival will be successful because of its strong line-up of foreign artists. It is also the only major international rock festival held in Seoul. Pentaport is held in Incheon. Summer Night on Aug. 7 will be headlined by British Jun 17, 2008
Ensemble Ditto Storms Across KoreaBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Last year, a group of young men took the local music scene by storm. At chamber group Ditto's Seoul concerts, die hard fans darted for the door before the last song came to an end so they could line up for autographs. They're like the Shinhwa of the classical music scene. Ditto is back for their second season, which is expected to be ``bigger and better,'' said violinist Johnny Lee, 29, at the opening night performance Wednesday in Seoul's hip Hongdae area. The chamber group has certainly gotten bigger, with pianist Lim Dong-hyek, 24, violinist Stefan Jackiw, 23, and double bassist DaXun Zhang, 28, joining Lee, violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, 29, and cellist Patrick Jee, 30. Mozart's Duo for Violin & Viola K.423 and Beethoven's ``Razumovsky'' String Quartet No. 9 filled the small hall where indie rock bands usually perform. Dressed comfortably in jeans, the young musicians conversed afterward with their mostly female fans. When asked if they had girlfriends, Jackiw exposed his single status and the crowd shrieked with excitement. Jackiw,Jun 15, 2008
Broadway Actress Lea Salonga Shares Secrets to SuccessBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter When Korean concert promoters approached Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Lea Salonga, 37, with the invitation to hold a solo concert in Seoul, she was surprised. ``There were some promoters who wanted me to come over and do a concert. And I was like, `Really? Why?','' she laughingly recalled, as she sat down for an interview with The Korea Times, Sunday. Despite her success in the international theater scene, Salonga shows she's still down-to-earth and humble. The Filipino actress and singer is famous for the lead role Kim in the musical ``Miss Saigon'' on the West End and Broadway, winning numerous awards including the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award for Best Actress. Fans of Disney animated musicals will recognize her voice as the singing voice for heroines Jasmine (``Aladdin'') and Mulan. Salonga, who is in Seoul for a solo concert Monday at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, is not sure how well the Korean audience knows her and her music. ``I have no idea how many people will actually come to the concert or ifJun 15, 2008
Composer Chin Unsuk Back for Concerts, Master ClassesBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Award-winning South Korean composer Chin Unsuk is back in town and invites concertgoers to the exciting world of contemporary classical music ― be prepared for toy piano performances, orchestral solos by up and coming musicians and premieres of works by esteemed modern composers including Chin herself. Upcoming concerts on Friday and Sunday mark the third season of ``Ars Nova,'' a project with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, of which Chin is composer in residence. She will also give master classes to aspiring composers through Monday. The 46-year-old said she agonized over months to choose premier contemporary pieces. ``The order in which contemporary music is presented is very important. If they're played consecutively, listeners won't be able to remember which was which,'' she said, emphasizing quality over quantity and finding a good mix and contrast of the old and new. The orchestral concert ``Couleurs exotiques'' will be held 8 p.m., Friday at the LG Arts Center in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul. It brings together pieces by composers wJun 11, 2008
Ditto Members to Give Solo PerformancesThis is the 13th in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians ― ED By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter In a concert hall, the mostly young, female crowd is wild and hyped up. No, it's not a rock concert ― it's Ditto, a male chamber group made up of some of the most promising young musicians to arise from Korea and the United States in recent years. The Korea Times sat down with two Korean-American members of the group, violinist Johnny Lee, 29, the only ethnic Korean in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Patrick Jee, a 30-year-old solo cellist who teaches at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Lee and Jee will be giving their first recitals here Thursday and Friday, respectively, before joining other Ditto members for a cross-country tour. Q: How is it like to be back in Korea? Jee: I live in Chicago; I don't see many Koreans. Even in Koreatown it's not like (Korea). I feel somewhat at home here. Lee: I work and live in L.A. This is a good chance to come back and play music and you know, explore. I was here last year, and before that it was 15 yeJun 10, 2008
Pianist Kim Sae-hee Presents Fine-Tempoed PerformanceBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter In a 2002 article, the Berkshire Weekly noted pianist Kim Sae-hee ``is on her way to bigger and greater things… It should be interesting to see where that career goes, especially with so many like her on the concert stage and more waiting in the wings. However, any subsequent appearances by Kim should not be missed by area music lovers.'' Among what seems like a myriad of classical musicians, particularly with the soaring number of pianists in South Korea, it seems to take an extra something to stand out. Kim possesses emotional breadth and technical virtuosity, plus the looks to boot. In the 38-year-old's recital Tuesday at the Seoul Arts Center, she wooed the crowd with her lyrical tunes and lovely presence. Kim has been praised for her ``wonderfully clear, bell-like tones as well as key-pounded fortissimi'' and possessing ``not only promise but realized accomplishment.'' (Herald Tribune, 1996). Indeed, she radiated a mature and relaxed demeanor as she played with fine-tempoed emotions, both high and low within the appropriate margins TuesJun 10, 2008
Album ReviewsCyndi Lauper ``Bring Ya to the Brink'' (SonyBMG) Poster girl for 1980s pop music Cyndi Lauper is making a comeback with a hip new album. Packed with dance tracks that are sure to become instant favorites on the club scene, Lauper shows the younger generation why she was such a big star in the 80s. The opening track ``High and Mighty'' has an almost hypnotic electronic beat. In fact, most of the songs like ``Echo'' and ``Lay Me Down,'' have a steady downbeat that will have listeners bobbing their heads in a trance. Lauper worked with Basement Jaxx on ``Rocking Chair.'' Lauper also co-wrote and co-produced all of the songs on the album. - Cathy Rose A. Garcia Jun 10, 2008
Original Run-D.M.C. Member to Perform at Hard Rock CafeBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Daryl ``D.M.C." McDaniels, founder of the legendary hip-hop group Run-D.M.C., will perform in Seoul for the first time June 18. His concert will be held at the newly re-opened Hard Rock Cafe Seoul, Itaewon. McDaniels is widely considered a pioneer of hip-hop music. Growing up in Harlem, New York City in the 1970s, he became interested in hip-hop music after listening to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. He taught himself, using his older brother's turntables and mixers, to become a disc jockey. McDaniels is the first major foreign artist to perform at the Hard Rock Cafe Seoul since it reopened in Itaewon last April. McDaniels co-founded Run-D.MC. with his friend Joseph ``Run" Simmons. Later, Jason ``Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, a disc jockey, joined the group. McDaniels started rapping and he adopted nicknames like ``Easy D," ``DMcD" and finally ``D.M.C." In 1984, Run-D.M.C. released their self-titled debut album. Their revolutionary style of music helped spur the development of hip-hop music, and brought hip-hop culture to tJun 9, 2008
Meyer, Wehle Give Master Classes in SeoulBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Celebrated German clarinetist Sabine Meyer, 49, and fellow professor and husband Reiner Wehle, 54, visited Korea for the first time last week, giving two packed concerts and two master classes for young students in Seoul. Meyer comes from a family of clarinetists including her father Karl and brother Wolfgang. ``I had a very natural way to become a musician. It was very logical. I played the piano and violin and the clarinet. I never thought about it,'' she said. Wehle, on the other hand, wanted to become an architect, but fell in love with the clarinet. Now, both appear in world music capitals with premier orchestras and chamber groups like the Sabine Meyer Ensemble. ``It's perfect,'' Meyer said about her musical partnership with her husband, smiling. In the June 2 concert with the Seoul Philharmonic, the clarinetist couple created perfect harmony with Krommer's Concerto for two clarinets (Op. 91). Offstage, the two completed each other's sentences as they spoke about music and life. The couple met with The Korea Times before giving theiJun 8, 2008
Album ReviewsUsher `Here I Stand' SonyBMG The hotly awaited new album from Usher has finally reached the hands of fans. As confirmed with the previously released single, ``Love In This Club,'' his fifth studio album is ready to preoccupy the hearts of listeners. It features flamboyant guest appearances from Jay-Z, will.i.am, Beyonce and Lil Wayne. The intro first catches the ears with his sultry and passionate vocals, then following the second track, ``Love In This Club,'' ``What's Your Name'' featuring will. I.am is a dance tune mixed with his signature rap, along with strong beats and Usher's trademark vocals. ``Best Thing'' is a hip-hop track featuring Jay-Z with rich bouncing rhythms, while ``His Mistakes'' presents heartbreaking melodic tunes with his doleful vocals. - Chung Ah-young Jun 3, 2008