Theater treats for children from around world arrive in time for vacation season

As a long-awaited summer break approaches, families and children can look forward to a rich array of performances designed for all ages in the months of July and August. From children's theater, dance dramas and puppet shows to interactive plays where the audience becomes part of the show, a diverse selection of international guest performances and Korean productions are available. Kids and family festival at Seoul Arts Center The Seoul Arts Center is set to host a summer festival for chi

July 8, 2024

Waterbomb festival to thrill 9 cities

Waterbomb, a summer festival that combines music and water activities, has returned to cool down the summer. The festival, however, also faces criticism for water waste and environmental issues. At Waterbomb, participants can enjoy performances and water activities at the same time. Since its inception in 2015, the festival has been held every year except 2020 and 2021, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As an event where alcohol is allowed and therefore restricted to adul

July 6, 2024

'Love in Saturn': Melodic jazz concert with drama starring Anupam Tripathi

Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, known for his role in the global phenomenon "Squid Game," is set to perform onstage at the Sejong Arts Center's Sejong S Theater on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. Tripathi will be starring in KimOki Saturnballad's "Love in Saturn," a jazz concert incorporated with short drama scenes. The concert is the opening program of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts' summer festival series, "Sync Next," which aims

July 5, 2024

Korea, South East Asia musicians to hold concerts in Busan

Artists from Korea and Southeast Asia will gather in Busan for two nights of special concerts to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Korea-ASEAN ties. The “Round in Korea” music festival, co-hosted by KBS and the ASEAN Culture House under the Korea Foundation, will be held on Saturday and Sunday at KBS Busan Hall. BamBam of GOT7 will host the event, and the lineup includes singer Kim Yoon-ah from Jaurim, and bands Nell, Touched and Nerd Connection. K-pop group H1-KEY will join them

July 5, 2024

[Herald Interview] As pianist and now actor, Yoo Sun Hee bridges cultures

Acclaimed Italian director Nanni Moretti’s latest film, “A Brighter Tomorrow,” which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, features a Korean-Italian interpreter. The character is not just an interpreter of languages, but also a link across cultures, introducing for instance how to drink soju. Though it’s a small role, for pianist Yoo Sun Hee, who is expanding her artistic horizons by venturing into acting with this role, it signifies what she

July 3, 2024

Paris Opera Ballet Gala comes to Seoul with etoile Park Sae-eun

Ballerina Park Sae-eun, the first Asian dancer to obtain the prestigious title of etoile, or principal dancer, at the Paris Opera Ballet, will head to Korea with her colleagues to perform the "Paris Opera Ballet Etoile Gala 2024” from July 20 to 24 at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera Theater in Seoul. The lineup includes six etoiles -- Park, Leonore Baulac, Valentine Colasante, Hannah O'Neil, Paul Marque and Guillaume Diop -- alongside four other members of the Paris Opera Ball

July 2, 2024

StayC makes cheeky return with 'Metamorphic'

StayC is back, and full of confidence and charisma. The group's first full-length album "Metamorphic" was released Monday. It follows "Teenfresh," a mini-album that came out in August last year. The new album features 14 tracks, including unit and solo songs. "We have been preparing for this full-length album for a long time. As the album's title suggests, listeners will see a transformed version of StayC. We were worried about whether we could pull off all 14

July 2, 2024

[Herald Review] aespa kicks off world tour with intense performance

Aespa held the second “Synk: Parallel Line" concert in Seoul over the weekend as it started a world tour. Over Saturday and Sunday, approximately 12,000 spectators attended the concert held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. On Sunday, the quartet appeared on the stage in dazzling black attire, and kicked off the concert with intense tracks -- “Drama,” “Black Mamba,” and “Salty & Sweet.” Members changed into bright costumes with metallic fabric, and fill

July 1, 2024

Maestro Chung Myung-whun likely to lead KBS Symphony Orchestra

Conductor Chung Myung-whun might lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra as the next music director. Discussions with Chung are in the final stages, an orchestra official told The Korea Herald on Monday. It would be Chung's first time leading a Korean orchestra after nine years. Since stepping down from his positions as director of both the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015, Chung has not held a directorial role. Instead, he has been conducting vario

July 1, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korean-Japanese teen trot duo Lucky PangPang makes ambitious debut

Despite their young ages, Kim Da-hyun (15) from South Korea and Sumita Aiko (16) from Japan are remarkable singers. Both were selected as the youngest contestants, respectively, on audition programs "The Current King" in Korea and "Trot Girls Japan" in Japan, which aired from November last year to February this year. The two young singers met on MBN program "Korea-Japan King's Battle" -- which aired from April to May -- where they engaged in friendly competitio

June 30, 2024

Outdoor concert returns to Olympic Park with top-notch lineup

The Credia Park Concert, the first full-scale outdoor classical music concert launched in Korea in 2010, returns in September after five years, running from Sept. 6 to 8 at the Olympic Park 88 Garden in southeastern Seoul. The concert on Sept. 6, titled "Forest of Music," features pianist Yuhki Kuramoto, violinist Danny Koo and Fortena, a group of four tenors along with Korea Coop Orchestra led by Kim Sung-zin. On the second day of the Park Concert, "Disney in Concert” will

June 27, 2024

[Herald Review] 'Cherry Orchard': The story of 'lovely mess of a family'

In Simon Stone’s Korean take on Anton Chekhov’s classic “The Cherry Orchard,” the world-renowned director shifts the setting to contemporary Seoul. Here, aristocratic siblings Lyuba Ranevsky and Leonid Gayev have become heirs to a crumbling chaebol family named Do-young (Jeon Do-yeon) and Jae-young (Son Sang-gyu). The Song family business is on the brink of bankruptcy, but Jae-young is inept and Do-young is in denial. Enter Hwang Doo-sik (Park Hae-soo), a modern incarnati

June 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jeon Do-yeon embraces complexity of Simon Stone's 'Cherry Orchard'

In a contemporary Korean adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s tragicomedy “The Cherry Orchard,” directed by Simon Stone, Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon takes on the role of Song Do-young, a reinterpretation of Lyuba Ranevsky. Acclaimed Australian director Stone has transported Chekhov’s narrative into 2024 South Korea, mirroring the original’s portrayal of a decaying aristocracy amidst societal upheaval. Clad in a trench coat, pink tracksuit and sneakers, the "tr

June 26, 2024

National Dance Company invites us to dreamlike reveries

The National Dance Company of Korea is set to present alternating performances of "Sinsun" and "Mongyudowonmu" from Thursday to Sunday at the National Theater of Korea's Daloreum Theater. "Sinsun" will be performed on Thursday and Saturday, while "Mongyudowonmu" will be performed on Friday and Sunday. Having originally premiered as a double bill in 2022, both productions have been expanded into 60-minute performances. "Sinsun" portrays the p

June 25, 2024

Westlife concert in Korea postponed to November

Irish pop band Westlife's concert has been postponed to November. According to Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, Westlife, initially scheduled to perform “The Hits Tour” in Korea at the Incheon Inspire Arena on July 6-7, will now hold one concert, on Nov. 23. The band last performed in Korea in October 2011 as part of its "Gravity Tour." Tickets for Westlife’s concert in Korea, which were sold through pre-booking, will be automatically canceled and full refun

June 25, 2024

Trendy 'gugak' festival 'Yeowoorak' spotlights artists

The iconic summer "gugak," or traditional Korean music, festival "Yeowoorak" is back from July 4 to 27, marking its 15th edition. Derived from the Korean phrase "Here is our music," Yeowoorak is the National Theater of Korea's flagship summer festival, showcasing musicians who explore and experiment with gugak. Since its inception in 2010, the festival has attracted over 77,000 people to the National Theater of Korea on Namsan. In the previous editions, Yeowoor

June 24, 2024

Britpop legends Suede to perform in Seoul

The band Suede, which helped create and lead the Britpop musical movement in the 1990s, will perform in Korea for the first time in eight years. Suede will perform "Suede Live in Seoul" at KBS Arena in Gangseo-gu on Aug. 23. This will be the band's first performance in Korea since they played at the 2016 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. Formed in London in 1989, Suede is recognized as a key Britpop band alongside Blur, Pulp and Oasis. Britpop, a type of alternative rock that origi

June 24, 2024

KNCDC's contemporary 'Jungle' to tour Paris, Italy, Austria, Kazakhstan

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company is on an international tour with "Jungle," which premiered in October as the curtain raiser at the International Modern Dance Festival. The company is performing "Jungle" at Theatre 13 in Paris on Sunday and Monday, as part of the 2024 Korea Season organized by the Culture Ministry to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, which kicks off July 26. Choreographed by Kim Sung-yong, the company's director and artistic director, &

June 23, 2024

Red Velvet to kick off Asia fan concert tour

Red Velvet is set to connect with fans across Asia with their upcoming fancon tour “Happiness: My Dear, ReVeluv” which will kick off with a two-day event in Seoul at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium, scheduled for Aug. 3-4. The announcement of the tour was marked by the release of a vibrant poster, shared on Red Velvet’s official fan club community and social media platforms Wednesday. The performance holds significance as they will celebrate their 10th anniversary with fans on A

June 21, 2024

Jeonju Intl. Sori Festival moved up to summer for 2024

The 23rd Jeonju International Sori Festival is set to run from Aug. 14 to 18, featuring a rich lineup of 105 performances across 78 programs of different genres including traditional Korean music, or "gugak," classical music and world music. The performances will take place at Sori Arts Center of North Jeolla Province and cities across North Jeolla Province. Opening the festival is "Pungmul Pankut," which transforms "nongak" into a theatrical performance. Nongak tra

June 20, 2024