Sakamoto clears plagiarism allegations against singer-songwriter You Hee-yeol By Dong Sun-hwaSinger-songwriter You Hee-yeol / Courtesy of Antenna MusicProlific Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has taken a stand against allegations that Korean singer-songwriter You Hee-yeol plagiarized his 1999 release “Aqua” to write his 2021 song, “A Very Private Evening.” Sakamoto's comments came about a week after You was accused of plagiarism when some internet users pointed out on Instagram that “A Very Private Evening” ― a track made for You's “Life Music” project that intends to bring diverse music to people's daily lives ― has a similar melody and chord progression with “Aqua.”Hours after the accusation was raised, You said on the Facebook of Antenna Music ― a music label he established in 1997 ― that after reviewing the two songs, he came to agree that the main themes of them shared similarities. “As Ryuichi Sakamoto was a musician whom I've respected and been influenced by for a long time, his songs may have remained in my head and I think that's how I came up with similar melodies,” he wrote, Jun 21, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Culture minister congratulates Lim Yun-chan, winner of 2022 Van Cliburn Competition Pianist Lim Yun-chan performs during the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday (local time). Courtesy of MOC ProductionBy Dong Sun-hwaMinister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyoon congratulated Lim Yun-chan, Sunday, for becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you for your victory,” Park said in his congratulatory message. “Your talent is already well known, but you have demonstrated your great prowess and limitless artistry again by winning the Van Cliburn competition. I want to give you a round of applause for your passion and spirit of challenge. I expect to see more Koreans showing their interest in the Korean classical music world after hearing about your achievement. I also hope you grow up as a musician who can win the hearts of people around the world regardless of the time, generations and borders.”Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon's congratulatory message to pianist Lim Yun-chan / Courtesy of MinisJun 19, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
S. Korean Pianist Lim wins top prize in Van Cliburn int'l competition Pianist Lim Yun-chan / Courtesy of MOC ProductionSouth Korean Pianist Lim Yun-chan has won the top prize in a prestigious international piano competition in the United States, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the 60-year-old contest, its website showed Sunday. Lim, an 18-year-old student at the Korea National University of Arts, clinched the gold in the finals of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition that closed in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday (local time)The silver and bronze medals went to the 31-year-old Russian pianist Anna Geniushene and the 28-year-old Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni, respectively.Lim started to get international attention at age 14 when he won second prize and the Chopin Special Award in his first-ever competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists in 2018.In the same year, Lim won the third prize and the audience prize in the Cooper International Competition. In 2019, he became the youngest to win Korea's lsangYun International Competition.The Van Cliburn competition was launched in 1962 in honor of the American Jun 19, 2022
Korean classical musicians make international splash Cellist Choi Ha-young / Courtesy of Kumho Cultural Foundation By Dong Sun-hwaA growing number of Korean classical musicians are stepping into the global spotlight after taking top honors at the most coveted music contests around the world. Cellist Choi Ha-young, 24, made headlines recently for winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello, which is considered as one of the three most prestigious contests for classical musicians along with the Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia and the Chopin Piano Competition in Poland.Choi was announced as the winner on June 4 in Brussels, Belgium, after edging out Yibai Chen from China and Marcel Johannes Kits from Estonia, who ranked second and third, respectively. Choi received 25,000 euros ($27,000) in prize money. She is the first Korean winner in the cello category since its creation in 2017. Before Choi, the last Korean to come first in the Queen Elisabeth Competition was violinist Lim Ji-young, who achieved the feat in 2Jun 9, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Maestro Chung Myung-whun receives Italy's 2nd-highest national order Conductor Chung Myung-whun, left, receives Grand Officer of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic from Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, June 2. Courtesy of the KBS Symphony OrchestraBy Kim RahnConductor Chung Myung-whun has received the second-most prestigious order of merit from the Italian government, becoming the first Korean to receive the honor, the KBS Symphony Orchestra said, Tuesday. The maestro received the Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Grand Officer of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) from Italian President Sergio Mattarella, June 2, at the Quirinal Palace before a concert commemorating the 76th anniversary of the country's declaration as a republic.The order is awarded to Italian or foreign nationals who contributed to promoting the national prestige of Italy or its relations with other countries in the fields of literature, arts, the economy, social and humanitarian activities. The recipients in the music fields include conductor Herbert von Karajan in 1960 and tenor Andrea Bocelli in 2006, accJun 8, 2022By Kim Rahn
Choi Ha-young wins Queen Elisabeth competition for cello Korean cellist Choi Ha-young performs during the Queen Elisabeth Competition for the cello, one of the three most coveted classical music contests in the world. Courtesy of Queen Elisabeth CompetitionChoi Ha-young has won the Queen Elisabeth Competition for the cello, one of the three most coveted classical music contests in the world. At the awards ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday (local time), Choi was named the first prize winner of the competition's second edition devoted to the cello.Yibai Chen from China was awarded the second prize, and Marcel Johannes Kits from Estonia took third.A cash prize of 25,000 euros (US$27,000) was given to the first prize winner.While four Korean cellists were included in the 12 finalists, only Choi was announced as one of the top six laureates.At the final round, each finalist performed a concerto of their own choice and an unpublished work by Jorg Widmann, which was written specially for this competition.Choi studied at the Korean National University of Arts and at the Kronberg Academy in Germany. She has won first prize in several internatJun 5, 2022
Korean violinist Yang In-mo wins prestigious Sibelius competition Korean violinist Yang In-mo / Courtesy of Credia Korean violinist Yang In-mo has won the 12th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions for the instrument in the world.At an awards ceremony held in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday (local time), Yang was announced as the first prize winner of the competition named after the Finnish composer out of six finalists.Second place was awarded to Nathan Meltzer of the United States and third place to Dmytro Udovychenko of Ukraine.Yang received a cash prize of 30,000 euros ($32,000) and was also rewarded with a loan of a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini made in 1772.The 27-year-old became the first Korean violinist to win the quinquennial contest founded in 1965 for young violinists under age of 30. Before him, Shin Hyun-su finished third in the 2005 edition.This year's Sibelius competition was originally set to take place in Helsinki in 2020 but was postponed for two years due toMay 30, 2022
INTERVIEW German professor hopes to boost appreciation for Korean traditional music Anna Yates-Lu, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology in the Department of Korean Music at Seoul National University / Courtesy of Anna Yates-LuProfessor and pansori performer sees huge potential in 'gugak'By Lee Gyu-leeKorean history has its fair share of music. However, despite all its deep-rooted traditions, the country's various traditional music genres, known collectively as “gugak,” have been lesser-known compared to more contemporary music trends like K-pop, not only to people abroad, but also many Koreans.But Anna Yates-Lu, a German-born assistant professor of ethnomusicology in the Department of Korean Music at Seoul National University (SNU), says gugak has much more potential than most people think. Using her background as a foreigner with expertise in gugak, the professor hopes to offer a fresh perspective to the gugak community. “I think from an outsider's perspective, I can offer a different view as well. I'm not necessarily telling people what to do, but I just want to become a different set of eyes, as someone who is kind of inside the world (of gMay 26, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Gugak' musicians protest plan to reduce education of traditional music Children learn how to play the gayageum, a 12-string Korean zither. Courtesy of Goryeong County'Gugak is valuable cultural asset that gives insight into past'By Dong Sun-hwa“Gugak,” or Korean traditional music, has faced many trials and tribulations in the course of its history. During Japan's 1910-45 colonial occupation of Korea, Japan attempted to assimilate Koreans by suppressing gugak, which was important to Koreans' national spirit and identity. Industrialization and westernization prompted Koreans to appreciate more music from other parts of the world, but to this day, gugak has managed to stand the test of time. The gugak community, however, fears another crisis is arriving. In April, the Ministry of Education released the draft of a new curriculum for music education in elementary, middle and high schools, which will come into effect in 2025. But the new curriculum doesn't have any standards of achievement for students regarding gugak, or any guidelines on which parts or elements of gugak should be taught.This change created an immediate backlash from numerous gugMay 12, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Renowned bass Youn Kwang-chul sings national anthem at inauguration Bass Youn Kwang-chul / Korea Times fileBy Kim RahnWorld-class bass Youn Kwang-chul was invited to sing the Korean national anthem during President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony in Seoul, Tuesday, as a symbol of overcoming prejudice and discrimination, according to the presidential transition committee.Youn, together with the Rainbow Choir, consisting of children of multicultural backgrounds, sang the national anthem at the ceremony in front of the National Assembly's main building.The committee said Youn, 57, is a symbolic figure who has broken the prejudice against graduates who are not from Seoul-based prestigious universities and made a breakthrough in the global music scene.He was far from a systematically educated, well-prepared young music talent: Born to a farming family, he graduated from a technical high school and studied alone to enter the music education department at Cheongju University.Youn moved to Europe to study vocal music and attended Berlin University of the Arts from 1991 to 1993. In 1993, he won the Placido Domingo Operalia, a world opera competition, anMay 10, 2022By Kim Rahn
