Latest news with #SejongSoloists
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Violinists Gil Shaham, Adele Anthony to show synergy on Seoul stage
Husband and wife duo will perform with Sejong Soloists as part of chamber ensemble's 'Hic et Nunc!' series Violinists Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony have long cherished performing side by side, sharing stages around the world as both musical partners and life companions. On Aug. 26, the couple will appear together in Korea for the first time, joining Sejong Soloists' acclaimed "Hic et Nunc!" series in Seoul. The program will feature two double violin concertos with Sejong Soloists: Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 and Avner Dorman's Concerto for Two Violins, "Nigun of the Birds,' which will get its Asian premiere. Dorman's concerto, which had its world premiere in April 2025 at Carnegie Hall, reimagines Bach's contrapuntal textures and polyphonic style through a contemporary lens, creating a vivid musical dialogue between the Baroque and the 20th century. The pairing also shaped the rest of the program, which includes works by Vivaldi and American composer David Diamond. Shaham and Anthony's collaboration with Dorman began when the composer proposed writing a piece for them. 'We were thrilled with the idea of a 'companion piece' to the Bach Double,' Shaham said in a recent email interview. 'The parts were divided naturally based on our strengths and musical personalities. The premiere at Carnegie Hall was unforgettable — the culmination of a deeply personal artistic journey.' Anthony described the process as 'a beautiful dialogue that we all contributed to. The premiere felt as though we were giving birth to a new piece of music.' As a duo, the couple values their shared rehearsal time as much as the performance itself. 'We're fortunate to perform together fairly often,' Anthony added. 'We discuss everything together, from the programming to the artistic interpretation. Because we have such deep trust and understanding as a couple, it's a very organic and open dialogue where we both contribute equally to the final decision. It's a wonderful synergy of our lives and our art." The couple's three children all play musical instruments, but Shaham and Anthony prioritize their children's happiness over professional ambitions for them. 'Our hope is that music enriches their lives and becomes a source of beauty and expression,' said Shaham. When it comes to inspiration, both name Bach as a shared favorite, though Anthony singles out jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald for her clarity and unmatched style. Shaham made his debut at the age of 10, launching a career that has spanned over four decades. Since his first visit to Korea in the mid-1990s, he has appeared here with ensembles including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2010, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2016, the Vienna Symphony in 2022 and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in 2023. He is not only a former student of Sejong Soloists founder Kang Hyo, but also a long-time collaborator, performing with the ensemble across Korea, the US and Europe, and on numerous recordings. Anthony, who won the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in 1996, has since built an international career marked by solo appearances with renowned orchestras. She also led Sejong Soloists as concertmaster for 12 years. For the couple, performing together in Seoul offers a rare opportunity to share their artistry with Korean audiences for the first time. 'The enthusiasm and deep knowledge of Korean audiences are unparalleled,' said Shaham. 'To share this experience with Adele here for the first time is incredibly special.' Anthony added, 'We've heard so much about the passion of Korean audiences. We're eager to share our musical synergy with them in person.' The Hic et Nunc! Musical Festival is an annual event founded and backed by Sejong Soloists. The eighth edition takes place Aug. 22 to Sept. 5 at various places in Seoul, including the Seoul Arts Center, Ewha Womans University and Uncommon Gallery. Shaham and Anthony will perform with Sejong Soloists at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the Seoul Arts Center's Concert Hall. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won to 150,000 won.
Korea Herald
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Meet writer Bernard Werber on classical music stage
Hic et Nunc! Music Festival presents world premiere of 'Chimeric Suite,' a collaboration between the French author, composer Kim Texu and Sejong Soloists French science fiction writer Bernard Werber is no stranger to Korean readers, having sold more than 12.5 million copies of his works in Korea since the publication of the Korean-language edition of 'Empire of the Ants' in 1993. Next month, however, his encounter with Korean audiences will take place on stage at a classical music concert when Werber takes part in the world premiere of Korean composer Kim Texu's 'Chimeric Suite.' In fact, Kim wrote the piece based on Werber's 2023 novel 'Le Temps des Chimeres," ('The Age of Chimeras'), which will be published in Korea later this year. On Aug. 27, the Sejong Soloists and Werber will take the stage, with the writer lending his text and voice for the performance, which will have subtitles in English and Korean provided on screen. The performance will also feature flutist Choi Na-kyung, also known as Jasmine Choi, and Denis Sungho, a Korean-Belgian classical guitarist and producer. 'Le Temps des Chimeres' is set in the near future after World War III, depicting a world where hybrid life forms, created by combining human DNA with animal DNA, begin to appear. The story features 'humans merged with moles' who live underground, 'humans merged with bats' who fly through the skies, and 'humans merged with dolphins' who live in the water. "It's a work that predicts the future, depicting events that could happen in the near future, about 10 years from now," the writer told reporters during an online press conference on Tuesday. Kim's music felt like film music, Werber said. 'It gave me the impression that the music itself became sentences, connecting one sentence to the next.' He added, 'Each instrument expresses a specific element. In this performance, water is represented by the guitar, air by the flute, and earth by the violin.' This will be Werber's first time onstage for a music concert, but music has accompanied him for a long time. While writing this book, Werber said he listened to a lot of Bach, whose music also appears in the novel. Thanks to his mother, who was a piano teacher, he was exposed to music from a young age. At 11, he was inspired by Vivaldi's piccolo concerto and went on to learn the piccolo. While writing his novel 'The Thanatonauts,' he frequently listened to Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun." 'Music has universality. It is free from the barriers of language, whereas literature inevitably undergoes some transformation through translation. In literature, each person reads at their own pace, but music has its own pace,' he said. The Aug. 27 performance is part of the annual Hic et Nunc! Music Festival, founded and supported by the Sejong Soloists. Since its founding in 1994 by renowned Juilliard violin professor Kang Hyo, the Sejong Soloists have earned global acclaim. giving more than 700 concerts in over 120 cities worldwide. "Hic et nunc' means 'here and now' in Latin. This year's festival, which is in its seventh edition, takes place from Aug. 26 to Sept. 4 at the Seoul Arts Center, Ewha Womans University and other venues. Werber and the Sejong Soloists will also take the concert to Sejong, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu and Busan.
Korea Herald
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Arko launches Sum Festa to bring performing arts festivals together
Arts Council Korea (Arko) seeks to foster collaboration across genres and regions with the launch of its new umbrella brand, 'Sum Festa,' bringing together 17 of the 45 performing arts festivals it supports nationwide. The initiative aims to connect theater, dance, music and traditional arts festivals under one banner, while preserving each event's distinct character and local roots. This summer's lineup includes events such as the Arts in Tank Dance Festival (July 1-27), the ChangMu International Performing Arts Festival (Aug. 22-31) and the Hic et Nunc Festival (Aug. 22-Sept. 5) by the Sejong Soloists. Previously operated independently, the participating festivals will now engage in joint marketing, cross-genre programming and regional partnerships. According to Arko, the unified platform is intended to build greater synergy and reach broader audiences across the country. Actor Park Jeong-ja, who will appear in the Evergreen Theater Festival (July 30-Aug. 17) featuring veteran stage actors, welcomed the initiative. 'There's something heartwarming about these different festivals coming together under one name to meet audiences,' she said during a press conference on Monday. 'Performing arts festivals serve as bridges connecting people and art, and this is a meaningful step toward sharing that connection more widely.' Conductor Baek Yoon-hak, who will lead the opening of the July Festival (July 1–31), a monthlong classical music series celebrating major composers, joined the initiative. 'The performing arts are, by nature, collaborative,' he said. 'Festivals are a larger stage for that collaboration. I hope this shared brand will spark new encounters between artists and audiences, across genres and regions.'
