Photo by Ugo Ponte Recently named The New York Times 2021 Breakout Star in Classical Music, Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim is the Caroline H. Hume Music Director of San Francisco Opera. The first woman to serve as music director of one of America's largest opera companies, she is "making history while ensuring the future of classical music in a digital age," as The New York Times declared. Please join… Read More

Image credit: JTBC Poongryu: Battle Between the Vocalists is a new music competition program from JTBC aiming to showcase a crossover between popular music and gugak, Korean traditional music. Featuring the best and brightest of a new generation of gugak singers and musicians, Poongryu has captivated the music fans around the world by introducing a new genre of music blending the traditional with modern twist. Kyojin Hwang, Chief Producer of… Read More

When experts analyze the worldwide success of K-pop, all point to one watershed moment in 2012: Psy's music video Gangnam Style was uploaded to YouTube. As YouTube became the main platform for music video release, K-pop broke through the language and cultural barriers and reached out to the world. Through YouTube, K-pop songs are watched and shared around the globe, and Korean artists communicate with their ever-increasing and dedicated fans… Read More

Believe it or not, BTS and Blackpink are not the entirety of Korean popular music. At the birthplace of K-pop, "idol" groups share the stage with the new generation of "trot" singers, power balladeers, hip-hop artists and indie bands. Music critic Youngdae Kim surveys the recent history of popular music in Korea and how it has evolved as K-pop exploded all around the world. From "Ga-yo" to K-pop Tuesday, May… Read More

Samul nori, the South Korean percussion genre with powerful rhythmic forms, has reached international popularity. First created in Seoul in 1978 by a quartet of musicians, samul nori (which translates simply into "four things play") is a neo-traditional musical repertory that has been performed on many international stages by professional ensembles and amateur musical enthusiasts around the world. Professor Katherine In-Young Lee explores the history and development of samul nori… Read More

Celebrate the Year of Ox with a virtual concert by Ak Dan Gwang Chil a.k.a. ADG7! This award-winning Korean traditional music group's powerful and engaging performance will immerse audiences into a spiritual experience and bring blessings of positive energy to kick off a new year. The nine-member ensemble presents itself not as earnest traditionalists, but as a giddy show band with all the trappings of K-pop — choreographed singers, candy-colored… Read More

Photo credit: Ruth Hogben for ABT Listen to our conversation with Hee Seo, the first Asian ballerina to be named principal dancer - ballet's highest title - at the American Ballet Theatre, as she discusses her illustrious career and thoughts on the future of performing art. Her dancing and fluid line exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet. - The New York Times Sign… Read More

America's leading authority on BTS, K-Pop, and East Asian entertainment, Tamar Herman returns to the Korea Society with her book BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears. BTS has conquered Western music charts and social media on their way to being the biggest band in the world. With record-breaking firsts and three Billboard No. 1 albums within a year, their music and messaging has gone on to transcend the limitations of language,… Read More

Award-winning singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer Grace Kelly has built an incredible career in jazz, which includes the release of 13 acclaimed albums before entering her mid-twenties. In this Young Professionals’ Night webcast, Grace unpacks her stunning career in a chat with writer Will Friedwald. Join us as we dive into Grace’s musical journey -- from her first album release at the tender age of 12, to her performance at President Barack Obama’s 2009… Read More

On the Korean island of Man-Jae, three elderly haenyeos—sea women—spend their dying days diving into the ocean to harvest seafood. Across the globe on the island of Manhattan, a Korean-Canadian playwright, twice an immigrant, spends her days wrestling with the expectation that she writes “authentic” stories about her identity. This “fascinating, audacious and deftly satirical” new play by Celine Song, directed by Sammi Cannold, questions what we inherit and challenges… Read More