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Orchestral

World-Famous Violinist Kyung Wha Chung Yells at Coughing Child During Performance

World-renowned violinist Kyung Wha Chung sent audience members into an awkward frenzy after publicly berating the parents of a coughing child during her performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London.Chung, from South Korea, is hailed as a violin prodigy but has been retired for some time, partly due to a finger injury. This show was her first London performance in 12 years.But during this show, the 66-year-old violinist lashed out at a child who was coughing during her performance of Mozart’s "Sonata in G."“Maybe bring her back when she’s older,” she rebuked to the child’s parents.Then, audience members say, she continued looking back in the general direction of the coughing child for the next 20 minutes.Anna Picard, music critic for "The Times," said the atmosphere in the hall had already been tense, such was the anticipation surrounding the violinist's comeback.
By Jaime Prisco

  • Modern Orchestra The Knights Will Release First Album, Tour with Bela Fleck

    Cutting-edge New York orchestra The Knights have been signed by Warner Classics, and their first album, "the ground beneath our feet," is due to be released Jan 26.The Knights began with brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, staging impromptu chamber music readings with their friends at their home while they were music students. Since then, the orchestra has risen and been hailed as “the next generation of classical music.” They have been known to play with big names in the classical and indie music scene, such as Bryce Dessner, guitarist of the band The National.The new album will explore the concerto grosso form, a Baroque form in which musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and a full orchestra. Colin characterizes the relationship between these two musical groups as a “party within a party.”Their "ground beneath our feet" will pair examples by Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky and Reich with world-premiere recordings of two collaboratively composed concertos. True to their collegial creed, the title track is a genuine group composition, collaborative from inceptions to interpretation.The CD release is timed to coincide with The Knights’s extensive, upcoming, seven-state, East Coast tour, where they will be joined by 15-time Grammy-Award-winning banjo artist Bela Fleck.
    By Jaime Prisco

  • First Female President of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Accused of Sexually Harassing Employees

    The first female president of South Korea's renowned orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, has been accused of sexual harassment, verbal abuse and unethical hiring decisions.Hyun-jung Park made history when she became the first female president and CEO of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2013, but allegations swirling around her unethical behavior are threatening her high-standing position and her place in the history books.Seventeen of the Seoul Philharmonic’s employees testified in a petition that Park constantly abused them, with one male employee claiming that she had too much to drink at a public dinner gathering and grabbed him by the necktie, attempting to touch his genitals. Three female employees said that Park suggested they offer themselves sexually, telling one she would be a good hostess and the other two that they should sit next to important male guests and accommodate their needs.
    By Jaime Prisco