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Classical Concerts Opera Macbeth Seoul Arts Center Through Oct. 8 The National Opera Company of Korea presents Opera Macbeth led by Maurizio Benini. This tragic story written by Shakespeare and Verdi shows the subtle deviousness of people on an exquisitely set stage. Tickets cost 10,000 won to 150,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call 1588-7890. Located near exits 4 and 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station on subway line 3. Opera Aria Night Seoul Arts Center Oct. 13 Five sopranos and a tenor will sing arias from various operas on one stage. Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 20,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call 1588-7890. Located near exits 4 and 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station on subway line 3. Alexandre Tharaud Piano Recital Seoul Arts Center (Concert Hall) Oct. 14 As a part of the France Festival sponsored by the French Culture Center, Alexandre Tharaud will perform at Seoul Arts Center. He will play Couperin's ``La Visionaire'' and ``Les Calotines,'' Ravel's ``Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte,'' and ``Menuet'' from Du Tombeau de

Oct 4, 2007

Bada Outstanding in One Woman Show

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter There were no flamboyant dances, raunchy humor or even real dramatic tension on the small stage for the Korean production of ``Tell Me On a Sunday,'' Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest piece, which opened at the Doosan Art Center in Jongno, central Seoul Monday. It is a usual story about love and the dreams of Denise, a lone female in New York who fled from London after breaking up with her boyfriend. She is the only character in this monologue-style musical. The story portrays Denise's struggle with the ways she loses love and finds it again and loses it and then finds it again, portraying a single woman's life in her late 20s and early 30s. The one-hour-and-a-half performance presents an insight into her world. With just one actor or actress as the engine for this form of show, the ability of the performer is everything. It was no surprise that the stage was overwhelmed by the energy and charisma brought by singer-turned-actress Bada, which is a good omen for her ambition to turn her 10-year singing career into a musical one. The m

Oct 3, 2007

Ballroom Dancing to Heat Up Seoul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Hot and sexy ballroom dancers will burn up Seoul's stage this month. After wowing Korean audiences with its dynamic ballroom dance show last year, the Australian dance production ``Burn the Floor'' returns with the all-new ``FloorPlay.'' Described as ``ballroom dancing for the new millennium,'' ``FloorPlay'' promises to present sizzling dance numbers such as the salsa, waltz, rhumba, tango, samba and jitterbug. Harley Medcalf, the show's producer, said ``FloorPlay'' takes ballroom dancing to a new level, incorporating all the lessons they learned from staging the first ``Burn the Floor'' production. The show started in 1999 and has been seen by three million people in 93 cities. ``Since the first show, we always looked at our performances, and looked at ways to improve. After five years, we felt it was time to take everything we learned from music, fabric, color, and choreography and put those lessons into a new feeling and make it more expressive. I feel we reinvented ourselves,'' he said, during a recent press conference at the

Oct 2, 2007

Performing Arts Exchange Market to Open

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Artists and performing arts professionals and businessmen from around the world will be able to buy and sell the rights to perform acts and shows at the third Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) Oct. 9-14 The venue for the PAMS is the Korea Foundation Cultural Center, Arko Arts Theater, Sadari Arts Center and National Museum of Korea. The event is aimed at promoting the distribution and circulation of the performing arts inside Korea as well as enhance international exchanges in the field. The third annual market is hosted by PAMS 2007 Board of Directors, organized by the Korea Arts Management Service and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Foundation Cultural Center. More than 120 foreign and 1,800 Korean artists, producers, presenters, directors and programmers will take part in the event. The arts market refers to a marketplace where artists and art organizations, suppliers of performing arts, producers, staff of theaters or events, and consumers of the arts, can buy or sell performing arts' works.

Oct 1, 2007

Masterpieces Go Online

By Sa Eun-young Staff Reporter A web-accessible collection of Asian masterpieces is now available anywhere around the world. The Virtual Collection of Masterpieces (VCM), an online selection of images and information on Asian collections from Asian and European museums, was launched by the Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS) in co-operation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). ASEMUS is a network of more than 60 important museums in Asia and Europe, promoting greater understanding between the two continents through museum-based programs that share collections with the support of ASEF. The VCM is primarily intended for educational and informational purposes, with a wide target audience including students, museum professionals and the general public who are not familiar with art collections in Asia and Europe. ``In this digital era, I hope that VCM can be an alternative tool to connect in one click away and inspire young people from around the globe. It would create as well more discussions and better understanding about the strong relationship between Asia and E

Sep 30, 2007

Listen to Beauty of Sound Art in Seoul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Sound is everywhere. There is no way to escape sound, whether it's beautiful like music or annoying like a car horn. Yet sound is not usually thought of as art in the same way as paintings or sculptures are. Now, you can experience ``sound art'' at the first-ever Sound Effects Seoul 2007 (SFX Seoul 2007), which is billed as a ``ubiquitous aural international sound art festival.'' Fifteen artists from Korea, France, Japan, United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Austria and Iceland were invited to show off works which push the boundaries of sound art. The exhibition runs through Oct. 7 at three museums, Yonsei University Media + Space Gallery, Total Museum of Contemporary Art, and Songwon Art Center. In an interview with The Korea Times, Baruch Gottlieb, founder and director of the exhibition, described ``sound art'' as an art form that you process first by listening. He noted that while you can close your eyes to visual art, it is impossible to close your ears to sound. Music is perhaps the most popular form of sound art, but

Sep 30, 2007

Artist Fuses Modernity and Tradition

By Sa Eun-young Staff Reporter The meeting between modernity and tradition is always an intriguing topic, and increasingly more artists search for unique approaches and different art forms to explore this fusion. Likewise, veteran artist Lee Bo-suk explores cultural identity through pieces that engage traditional icons with a fresh approach. Lee's original pieces are on display at a solo theme exhibition ``Arirang-Hangeul 2007'' at the Chosun Ilbo Museum in Seoul. It runs through Oct.1. Lee's works are strongly rooted in Korean culture, yet she shows willingness to embrace new methods as well as different cultures. Lee once wrote that she is able to seek and compare other artworks because of the firm base in her own culture. Accordingly, the artist's contemporary works overflow with the spirit of traditional Korea. Her oil paintings reinterpret men and women in hanbok, or Korean traditional costumes, portraying scenes from the Choson Kingdom era(1392-1910). The painting techniques that Lee employs, however, are nonetheless modern. She takes a figurative approach,

Sep 28, 2007

Clubs, Art Exhibitions & For Kids

CLUBS Club Garden Apgujeong-dong The Garden is an electronica hotspot, with the big draw being its line-up of guest DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Mondo Grosso, Afrika Bambatta and Goldie. Near Galleria Department Store on the so-called Rodeo Street in southern Seoul. Call (02) 518-5115 or clubgarden.co.kr. Club Evans Hongdae or Hongik University Area This place, located near Hongik University, is great for intimate live performances. The line-up of performers is generally top-notch and the acoustics are good. Located near exit 1 on Sangsu Station on subway line 6 or exit 6 on Hongdae Station on subway line 2. Call (02) 337-8361 or www.clubevans.com. Club Caliente Itaewon The patrons are so diverse, DJ Josh sometimes has a hard job appealing to everyone. But he keeps the dance floor going, playing a variety of standbys and new Latin music. The song selection is what keeps people coming back. Located near exit 4 of Itaewon Station subway line 6. Call (011) 9094 8484 Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floo

Sep 27, 2007

Concerts, Museums & Performances

CLASSICAL CONCERTS Russell Sherman Piano Recital Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Oct. 14 & 21 Russel Sherman, who taught many renowned Korean pianists, holds his fifth concert in Korea. He will perform beautiful music of Liszt, Schumann, Debussy, and Beethoven. ``Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune’’ duo will be played with his wife and pianist Byun Wha-kyung. Tickets cost from 50,000 won to 70,000 won. Visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555. Located near exit 8 of Gwanghwamun Station on subway line 5. Sweet Concerto Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Sept. 29 Seoul Youth Philharmonic Orchestra presents the Sweet Concerto. Four young solists will play Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Haydn, and Mozart’s music with the orchestra. Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 20,000 won. Visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.Located near exit 8 of Gwanghwamun Station on subway line 5. Trio Thalia ``Wind from the North’’ Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (Chamber Hall) Sept. 28 Trio Thalia consists of violinist Kim E-Jung

Sep 27, 2007

Yearly French Cultural Festival to Take Off

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter There is no need to fly to France to get a taste of its rich arts and culture, as France Express brings the best of French and Franco-African as well as Korean talent -- express-- to Korea. Presented by the French Cultural Center here, the festival will showcase dance, music and theater performances as well as visual arts, literature and cinema programs in venues all over Seoul and its outskirts all throughout the month of October. Last year, Korea and France celebrated the 120th anniversary of their bilateral relations, and France Express symbolizes the continuation of a friendship the two share in all sectors, from the sciences, economy and education to the arts, culture and education, said Philippe Thiebaud, French ambassador to Seoul, during a press conference last Tuesday at the French Cultural Center. The ambassador explained that the festival boasts close to 20 different programs based on three principles -- excellence, youth and partnership. France Express invites world-class artists -- coloratura soprano Elisabeth Vital, virtuoso piani

Sep 26, 2007
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