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With 'nervous fear,' producer Shin Chun-soo brings 'The Great Gatsby' to Korea
On Aug. 1, “The Great Gatsby” musical will mark a milestone with simultaneous performances in three of the world’s major musical theater hubs — New York, London, and Seoul — just 15 months after its Broadway premiere. Behind this ambitious endeavor is Korean producer Shin Chun-soo, founder and CEO of OD Company. “On Broadway or the West End, it’s nervous excitement. In Seoul, it's a nervous fear,” Shin told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday. “Korean audiences are terrifying. They’re
July 16, 2025 -
Sohn Min-soo, Lim Yunchan bring 1,500 to their feet with four hands, one voice
One of the most anticipated classical concerts of the season took place at the Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday evening. In the last of three performances in Korea before moving on to the Verbier Festival in Switzerland later this month, pianist Sohn Min-soo, 49, and his pupil Lim Yunchan shared the stage ― an occasion that affirmed what the 21-year-old has often attested to in interviews: the deep influence of his teacher. From the moment the lights dimmed, the audience was ready to be transported.
July 16, 2025 -
The sound of now: young Korean creators redefine tradition and form
Composer-conductor Choi Jae-hyuck and haegeum player-composer Joo Jeong-hyeon have been on the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ radar since the launch of its summer contemporary music series, The Sync Next, in 2022. This year, for the first time, the center brought them together to explore what kind of synergy might emerge. The performance, part of the Sync Next 25 program running from July to September at the Sejong Center’s S Theater, pairs Choi’s ensemble, Ensemble Blank, with Joo, an e
July 15, 2025 -
Final lineup announced for 2025 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival
The final lineup and schedule have been confirmed for the 2025 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, featuring a total of 58 acts. The city of Incheon announced Tuesday that singer-songwriter Milena and six up-and-coming bands selected through the 2025 Pentaport Super Rookie event will be the final additions to the roster. Milena, known for her jazz and classic-inspired compositions, warm yet dreamy voice and poetic lyrics rooted in everyday life, previously joined indie band Wave to Earth on their N
July 15, 2025 -
South Korea’s premier water music festival S2O Korea makes splash in Gwacheon
S2O Korea, one of the best-known water-themed music festivals in the country, lit up Gwacheon with energy and excitement on Sunday, drawing massive crowds despite the humid summer heat. Inspired by Thailand’s traditional Songkran water festival, S2O made its Korean debut in 2022 and has grown into one of the country’s most iconic summer music events. This year’s festival took place over the weekend at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Although Sunday’s weather was hot and cloudy, festiv
July 13, 2025 -
'K-culture begins with the arts': National Theater of Korea launches new season
When Korean cultural references like gat, dopo robes, magpies and tigers appear in hit animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," it’s a sign that the stature of Korean culture has changed significantly, according to Park In-gun, CEO of the National Theater of Korea. “And K-culture begins with the fundamental arts. I hope to see powerful works that expand across the world," Park said during a recent press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. Building on that foundation, the National Theater
July 13, 2025 -
Women at center stage: ‘Frida,’ 'Marie Curie' and ‘Wicked’
For this summer, meet complex, resilient women — real and fictional — who stand at the forefront of musical storytelling, each backed by a proven track record on stage and in the hearts of audiences. "Frida," presented as a talk show, tells the fierce life story of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). Frida’s short life of only 47 years was filled with pain. Polio left her right leg underdeveloped at six, and a bus accident at 18 led to over 30 surgeries. She married muralist Diego Rivera, 21
July 12, 2025 -
‘A Story of Man and Wife’ conveys Korean realities via classical vocals
A couple’s story unfolds through classical vocals with hyper-realistic lyrics. Sung by beautiful voices over flowing piano melodies, the witty yet candid lyrics touch on high housing prices, interest rates, exhausting marriage preparations, child care allowances and much more. Composed by Ryu Jeajoon, 54, with lyrics by Bong Joon-soo, 55, an English literature professor at Seoul National University, the music drama "A Story of Man and Wife" grapples with one of South Korea’s biggest societal cha
July 10, 2025 -
Ong Seong-wu, Kim Hyang-gi reunite on stage for ‘Shakespeare in Love’
Six years after portraying a fluttering teenage couple in coming-of-age drama “At Eighteen” experiencing their first love together, singer-actor Ong Seong-wu and Kim Hyang-gi have reunited — this time on stage, as they both make their theatrical debut in the Korean production of “Shakespeare in Love.” The romantic comedy, adapted from the Oscar-winning 1998 film of the same title, opened Saturday at the CJ Towol Theater at the Seoul Arts Center. Ong, formerly of the since-disbanded boy band Wann
July 10, 2025 -
Daniil Simkin would like to 'break free' into ballet's new frontiers
It is not always easy to find yourself in the classical stories of ballet, says Daniil Simkin. Yet at the heart of these works, he sees something universally resonant — “the romantic idea of breaking free from constraints and following one’s passion.” The internationally acclaimed ballet star, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theater and Staatsballett Berlin, is back in Seoul to perform Prince Siegfried in “Swan Lake” with Universal Ballet. The shows, scheduled for July 19 and 23 a
July 9, 2025 -
X for borderless, frontier music: ACC rebrands its global festival
The National Asian Culture Center Foundation, based in Gwangju, has relaunched its global music event, the ACC World Music Festival, under a new name and an expanded vision as the ACC X Music Festival (ACC XMF). The newly rebranded festival is set to take place from Aug. 29 to 31. Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the ACC, the rebranding aims to redefine the festival’s identity and direction. Organizers say the change reflects a shift toward a broader, more inclusive global perspective and
July 8, 2025 -
Sohn Min-soo, Lim Yunchan on sharing the stage
Celebrated pianists Sohn Min-soo and Lim Yunchan will share the stage next week in a rare four-hand concert in Seoul, presenting works by Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Strauss. Ahead of their performance in Seoul -- and at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland later this month -- they shared their thoughts in writing about preparing for the concerts, the meaning of playing together, and what a duo performance reveals that solo stages cannot. For Sohn, 49, a respected educator and laureate of the Honens
July 8, 2025 -
'Nikola Tesla' triumphs as DIMF closes 18-day celebration of musical theater
The 19th Daegu International Musical Festival, Korea’s leading global musical theater event, concluded its 18-day run Monday with awards recognizing outstanding productions and talents from both Korea and abroad. The grand prize was awarded to Hungarian production "Nikola Tesla: Infinite Energy," which tells the story of the 19th-century inventor using modern stage technology. The award for original musical went to "Shakespiece," a Korean production developed through DIMF’s support program, whic
July 8, 2025 -
Reprising role decades later: 'Little Monk' 34 years on
What does it feel like to return to a role you first played three decades ago? For Ji Chun-seong, it is a mix of responsibility, pressure and deep honor. In 1991, Ji was 25 when he played the career-defining role of the young temple apprentice Do-nyeom in “A Little Monk,” directed by Park Won-geun. Now, at 59, he returns to the stage as the same character — now aged by both the years and the memory of a life lived in the shadow of that performance. The story picks up right where it left off. “Ba
July 8, 2025 -
Sync Next 25 kicks off with ‘borderless’ stage experience
“Sync Next,” the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ contemporary summer program, kicked off a ten-week festival on Friday, with the opencing concert titld “Lucid Fall, Jung Mari, Boo Ji-hyun on Sync Next 25." Breaking free from the conventional format of the stage, the opening performance offered audiences a new theatrical experience that they can hear, see, and sense with their entire bodies. Singer-songwriter Lucid Fall presented ambient music incorporating the sounds of nature and instrum
July 5, 2025