Kyungsung International Piano Academy: Masterclass and Competition in Busan

If you spend too much time in the capital region here (Seoul plus Gyeonggi satellite cities), you start to believe nothing happens in Korea outside this bubble. Wrong!     (:      More proof: Information is just up about a piano masterclass and competition in Busan. The artistic director is Russian pianist Alexey Lebedev who … Continue reading →

Documentary out on composer Isang Yun: German film portrays composer pitted between both Koreas

Hero, traitor, iconoclast, prisoner, exile: Enigmatic Korean composer Isang Yun has been many things. Almost two decades after his death, a German-made film goes searching for the truth behind the musician. Watch the trailer here Maria Stodtmeier’s recent documentary, “In Between: Isang Yun in North and South Korea,” investigates the many misconceptions surrounding the enigmatic composer and … Continue reading →

First public music library opens in Korea

The first public music library in the Republic of Korea has opened this week in Paju, a city just north of Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do. It is part of the brand new Solgaram Art Hall (솔가람아트홀) that includes a performance hall dedicated exclusively to classical music performances, especially recitals and chamber music. The Garam Music Library (가람음악도서관) is substantial, with an … Continue reading →

The Asian Composers Showcase at Tongyeong Music Festival

The Asian Composers Showcase at Tongyeong Music Festival The four new compositions that were created as part of the Asian Composers Showcase 2014 will premiere at the Tongyeong International Music Festival on March 31, 2014. The compositions with a duration of 15 to 20 minutes are written for a chamber ensemble of up to ten … Continue reading →

Contestants Announced for DCS International Piano Competition: 5 Korean pianists included

Contestants Announced for DCS International Piano Competition 2014 » DCS International Piano Competition. >>>>Pianist Lee Soeun comes in third place.    Lee’s choice of the Mendelssohn G minor Concerto posed far fewer technical challenges [compared to Lizhen Wu’s second prize performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2]. Apart from a slow movement that plodded a bit, though, she … Continue reading →

2014 Seoul International Music Competition: Piano

Something to look forward to if you enjoy cheering on young musicians: The 10th Seoul International Music Competition (10회 서울국제음악콩쿠르) will be held from March 18th to 30th. This year’s category is piano. It is held annually for piano, violin, and voice, in rotation. (Cellists and violists don’t cry please). It’s on at the Seoul … Continue reading →

Bang on a Can All-Stars – Tongyeong International Music Festival – 2014 – Bang on a Can

New York City’s Bang on a Can All-Stars return to Asia for a six-concert tour & residency. The residency and two concerts will be held in Tongyeong, as part of this year’s new music festival there –March 28th to April 3rd.  I’ll write more about that soon (after I get sick of watching the Olympics … Continue reading →

Gugak’s quality first: new head of Gugak Center announces her vision

Gayageum player Kim Hae-sook is the new head of South Korea’s national traditional music centre. The musician is the first woman to lead the National Gugak Center since its inception in 1951. She will hold the post for two years. In a recent press conference, Kim Hae-sook talked about her priority of producing quality music … Continue reading →

Kim Eunsung wins the Mendelssohn composers competition

Young composer Kim Eunsung won the Mendelssohn composers competition back in December. His winning piece is called “mobile Elemente” and is for piano trio. This hasn’t gotten (almost) any coverage in English (or Korean it seems!), so I thought I would mention it. Originally from Pohang, a city in the south-east of Korea, Kim studied … Continue reading →

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Digital Buddha

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Digital Buddha, Friday, January 31st. In celebration of the Met’s landmark exhibition Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom, Met Museum Presents DIGITAL BUDDHA, a multimedia performance video with Jin Hi Kim (Komungo) and Gerry Hemingway (Percussion). Continue reading →