'Music to be played until Russian invasion of Ukraine ends' Elena Litvinenko, a Ukrainian singer living in Seoul, sings the Ukrainian national anthem during “Concert for Peace” at Ewha Girls' High School in Seoul, May 6. Korea Times photo by Lee Yeon-wooCello professor holds concerts every day wishing for peace in UkraineBy Lee Yeon-wooFrom Handel's famous aria “Lascia ch'io pianga” to Korean singer Yang Hee-eun's “Morning Dew,” beautiful cello melodies held busy office workers in rapt attention during lunch hour on May 6. The music was from “Concert for Peace,” which is held every weekday at 12:30 p.m. for 30 minutes in front of Ewha Girls' High School in Jeong-dong, central Seoul. The special project was started on March 21 by renowned cellist Bae Il-hwan, a professor of orchestral music at Ewha Womans University, hoping for peace in war-torn Ukraine, with the goal of continuing the concerts until the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends.The location for the performance is only 300 meters away from the Russian Embassy in Korea. Bae initially sought to hold it in front of the embassy, but it was imMay 10, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
Korean National Symphony Orchestra seeks to become 'classical music ambassador' David Reiland, second from left, the artistic director of Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO), speaks during a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, Tuesday. From left are KNSO CEO Choi Jung-sook, Reiland, an interpreter, and KNSO composer-in-residence Chun Yie-eun. Courtesy of KNSOBy Lee Yeon-wooThe Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) will focus on nurturing talent in classical music, not only musicians in Korea but also musicians abroad, with a blueprint to become a “Korean classical music ambassador,” its leaders said, Tuesday. Such goals and ambitions have followed the orchestra obtaining the title of “national” from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March.“Now is the moment for KNSO to have a fresh start and establish our identity as a national orchestra. We take our responsibility and obligation to heart,” Choi Jung-sook, the CEO of the KNSO, said during a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.Choi and Artistic Director David Reiland, who was appointed to the position in JaMay 4, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
HYBE calls for swift decision on BTS' military exemption BTS perform onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP-Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooHYBE called on the National Assembly to swiftly reach a decision on BTS' possible exemption from compulsory military service, saying the unresolved issue is causing headaches for its artists. Lee Jin-hyung, the chief communication director at HYBE, said the company has been closely monitoring the changing policy on active-duty military service since 2020, when the so-called “BTS Law” was passed allowing the group members to postpone their service until they are 30 years old. Jin, the oldest member of the group, must enlist by December of this year. “We are very careful about bringing this up because we know how important the military duty issue is in Korea. However, we hope the decision (regarding BTS' possible exemption from mandatory military duty) will be reached as soon as possible,” he said during a press conference heldApr 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
With 'Love Dive,' Ive looks to infuse fresh wind into K-pop industry K-pop girl group Ive poses for photographers during an online media showcase in Seoul for its second single album "Love Dive," Tuesday. Courtesy of Starship Entertainment.Rising rookie girl group Ive said Tuesday it would like to bring a fresh wind into the K-pop scene with its just-released new single, "Love Dive.""Love Dive" comes just four months after the group's debut last December with its single album "Eleven." The first album became an instant hit at home and abroad, setting a record for the most first-week debut album sales by a K-pop girl group. The title track topped various domestic music charts and entered the Billboard Global 200, with its music video reaching more than 100 million views on YouTube.During a media showcase held a few hours before the release of its second single album, the six-piece group from Starship Entertainment was confident that the new release would not disappoint fans of the debut album."Thank you for calling us a group representing a generation even though we are rookies who have just debuted. We'll try to show you the best of us with this albumApr 5, 2022
Billie Eilish and Finneas bond and win Oscar for best song Billie Eilish, left, and Finneas, winner of the award for best original song for "No Time To Die" from "No Time To Die", pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. AP-Yonhap“No Time to Die” is proving a song very much alive at awards shows.The 007 song by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell has won a Golden Globe, a Grammy and now an Oscar for best original song.The sister-and-brother artists thanked the whole Bond team and O'Connell closed the speech with words of gratitude for their parents, saying they had “always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes. We love you as parents and we love you as real people, too.”To win, they beat out some impressive names, including Beyonce, Van Morrison and Lin-Manuel Miranda. They also prevented Diane Warren from nabbing her first Oscar on her 13th try.“No Time to Die” debuted and peaked at No. 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 but debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. The filmmakers behind Daniel Craig's latest turn as Mar 28, 2022
Beyonce, Billie Eilish to perform at the Oscars Beyonce, left, and Billie Eilish / AP-Yonhap, EPA-YonhapBeyonce, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Reba McEntire and Sebastian Yatra have been booked to perform this year's Best Song nominees at Sunday's 94th Oscars ceremony.Beyonce will sing "Be Alive" from King Richard; Yatra will sing "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto; Eilish and Finneas will sing "No Time To Die" from No Time to Die; and McEntire will sing "Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days."Van Morrison was invited to perform his nominated song but will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule, therefore 'Down to Joy' from Belfast will not be performed on the broadcast," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement Tuesday.The event celebrating excellence in cinema is to air live from the Dolby Theatre on ABC.Netflix's The Power of the Dog is up for a leading 12 Academy Awards ― including Best Picture.Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are hosting the gala. (UPI)Mar 23, 2022
INTERVIEW Pianist Lim Dong-hyek: 'Most nervous about performing in Korea' Pianist Lim Dong-hyek sits at the piano during an interview with The Korea Times at Cosmos Art Hall in southern Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukAcclaimed pianist to perform at The Korea Times' concertBy Dong Sun-hwaListing all the accolades that pianist Lim Dong-hyek has earned during his 20-year career would take a long time, but just to mention a few, he ranked second at the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Russia at the age of 12, as the youngest participant that year, and won the fifth prize at the International Busoni Piano Competition in Italy in 2000, before becoming the youngest pianist ever to ink a recording contract with EMI Classics ― the classical music label behind internationally acclaimed artists like Nigel Kennedy, which later changed its name to Warner Classics ― in 2005.But the 37-year-old who is known as a piano genius still suffers from bad stage fright, which keeps him on his toes whenever he performs before an audience.“Above all, I am the most nervous about performing in Korea, maybe because I get to read a lot of comments about Mar 16, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Veteran trot singer Na Hoon-a to release new album Veteran singer Na Hoon-a / Courtesy of Yearah and YesoriBy Park Han-solLong-time trot legend Na Hoon-a will release a series of new songs in celebration of the 55th anniversary of his musical debut.Titled “Seven-Colored Scent,” the album featuring seven tracks ― including “Fighting Match,” “Mother (Wife's Mother),” “Change” and “Wisdom of Love” ― will come out on Tuesday, according to his agency Yearah and Yesori.The album will also be accompanied by two music videos on YouTube for the songs “Fighting Match” and “Change.”“Fifty-five years sure isn't a short period of time, and standing at the end of this road, I'm still adding a touch to my music,” Na said in a statement.“Just like anyone who is eagerly hoping for a new world amid pain and chaos, I hope that the seven tracks on this new album 'Seven-Colored Scent' can be a gift of hope for myself and everyone else.”Having made his musical debut in 1968, the 75-year-old quickly claimed the title as the “Emperor of Trot&rdqFeb 20, 2022By Park Han-sol
Harvard student transforms Shimcheong into Disney-inspired Korean princess Korean-American composer Julia Riew sings a song from her "Shimcheong: A Folktale” musical project. Screenshot from TikTokBy Kwon Mee-yoo"There was no Korean Disney princess so I decided to make my own," Julia Riew wrote as she unveiled a preview of "Dive," a song for her new musical project, "Shimcheong: A Folktale."In the video, Riew turns herself into an animated character through a filter with a finger snap, and sings a song describing her protagonist embarking on an adventure with the lines, “Now all the fish in the sea can't stop me. All of the waves in the world can't rock me. I'm on a mission and just watch me go."Riew, a senior at Harvard studying Theater and Music, is creating the musical starring a Korean princess, inspired by the Korean folktale, “Shimcheong,” also known as “The Blind Man's Daughter,” and Disney animated films.The third-generation Korean American from St. Louis, Missouri, said her "Shimcheong" project began about a year and a half ago when her grandfather passed away due to COVID-19 and her grandmother moved in to live Feb 9, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Popera singer Lim Hyung-joo reappointed as Grammys' voting member Popera singer Lim Hyung-joo / Courtesy of DGNcom Korean popera singer Lim Hyung-joo has been reappointed as a voting member of the Grammy Awards, his management agency here said Friday.The singer, whose five-year term was set to expire at the end of the month, was recently notified that he will be eligible to vote in the U.S. Recording Academy behind the Grammys, for another five years, according to DGNcom.The 35-year old singer was named the Academy's voting member, the highest of all membership grades, in 2017 for the first time as an Asian operatic pop artist."The Recording Academy seems to have recognized Lim's performances and activities on the local and global popera scenes over the past 24 years," DGNcom said in a statement.The Recording Academy is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals that hosts the Grammy Awards. Members have the right to submit their albums for consideration to the Grammys. The nuFeb 4, 2022
