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The Korea Times

By Park Jin-hai
Violinist Danny Koo breaks every stereotype about classical musicians. The 32-year-old Korean-American artist, sometimes called an “idol of classical music”, is working on making his style of music more accessible to the public.
In addition to performing concerts with a diverse range of artists, he has appeared in Korean television music competition shows SuperBand 2 and King of Mask Singer and has shared insights into his private life through reality show Home Alone.
He is a host for the Pinkfong YouTube channel, which is where the viral “Baby Shark” song and Pinkfong Classic concert series for children come from.


Koo, who holds music degrees from the New England Conservatory in the US state of Massachusetts, enjoys a fandom much like K-pop idols do, thanks to his active engagement with fans through social media.
Fans share every little detail of his life, from his personality type and his favourite musicians to his tattoos and all of his events since the start of his music career in Korea in 2016. His classical concerts often draw large audiences of young people.
Giving classical music new relevance: Korean pianist Son Yeol-eum’s goal
“Thanks to the Home Alone show, I think I’m meeting more and more people from all walks of life. That’s really cool,” he says ahead of the release of his album, Moonlight.
Koo says appearing on the popular reality show is one of the many things he is doing to break down the barriers separating classical music from the public.
“There is a stereotype that classical music is conservative and difficult. I’m constantly trying to break that stereotype. I’ve always wanted to be a bridge between the classical world and the public.”


The violinist says classical musicians should emulate K-pop’s success story, adding that constant communication with fans could be the key to doing so.
“Up until now, musicians regard themselves as ones who speak with their final products – performances at concerts. They have been hesitant and even afraid of showing practice sessions.
“But think of K-pop stars. I think the reason they’re so famous is because of live-streaming services. They share videos of their training with fans,” he says. “So I thought that if we, classical artists, just learn a little bit from that, things would be different. I think we’re living in a multi-platform world where communication is key.”

Koo made up his mind to become a violinist after realising the power of music while attending an art camp and he started taking professional lessons at the age of 16.
There, looking at his Korean and Chinese classmates who started playing violin much earlier, Koo at times regretted not having started at a younger age.
“When I first went to music school, I was so shocked. Especially students from Korea and China, they were on a different level because they had received so much training. I was so scared at first, but looking back, it actually helped boost my ‘hungry mentality’,” he says.
Pianist Lang Lang’s concert at Hong Kong Disneyland ‘a dream come true’
Before the school’s practice rooms opened, he arrived at 6.30am every morning and started practice an hour earlier thanks to the help of a security guard he befriended.
“My mindset at the time was that no matter who I was with – whether with my professor, my junior, my senior or my friend – I should be the one who can proudly say that I lived the day to the fullest. This mindset helped me overcome the fear and made me take music as a profession.”
Koo says he admires South Korean comedian Yoo Jae-suk and South Korean soprano Sumi Jo.
“I’m a ‘routine man’ and so is Yoo. He has been so for such a long time and remains at the top of the Korean entertainment industry. He shows that keeping up a routine and hard work pay off in the end,” he says.












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He adds that Jo, a legendary soprano who continues to expand her musical boundaries, is the one he likes the best as a musician for her advice and guidance, and recounts an occasion when she motivated him to take on a project that he was hesitant about.
“She said we are not just musicians, but entertainers, so we need to be versatile,” he says. “She also told me that this is something that only I could do and I was so overwhelmed and grateful.”
Koo says his newest EP, Moonlight, launched on April 10, is a musical reimagining of the magical feeling of a moonlit night.

In collaboration with jazz pianist Cho Yoon-seung, Koo composed or wrote lyrics for three out of four classically influenced pieces on the album.
“Moonlight” and “Twilight Waltz” are concertos for violin and piano, while “Love Letter” and “Just You” are songs in which he sings.
“All four are sweet and warm. There are two songs and two instrumental pieces. The two instrumentals are my first attempts at the new age genre.
“In ‘Love Letter’, I sang and there is no violin for the first time,” he says. “It’s diverse and jazzy, I would say. After all, Cho is a jazz master and working with him, the chord progressions tend to go more towards jazz.”












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A post shared by Danny Koo 대니구 (@dannykoo_boom)



As for the idea of a violinist singing, Koo says he felt some pressure and self-doubt at first.
“There are so many people who sing better than me and I wondered if I was doing the right thing. But people around me told me that singing is not just about technique and that I should sing because I have this special tone.
“When I started singing, I realised instantly the power of lyrics in the songs. I thought, why not do it if I can do it and have the opportunity? It’s so much fun.”
Read the full story at The Korea Times


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Classical music

Violinist Danny Koo, ‘idol of classical music’, looks to K-pop for ideas on how to build connections with fans

Violinist Danny Koo. Photo: Instagram/dannykoo_boom 

Sometimes called an “idol of classical music”, violinist Danny Koo wants to make his style and genre of music more accessible to the public. Photo: Instagram/@dannykoo_boom 

Koo says appearing on popular reality show Home Alone is one of the things he is doing to break down the barriers separating classical music from the public. Photo: Instagram/@dannykoo_boom 

Koo says classical musicians should emulate K-pop’s success story. Photo: Instagram/@dannykoo_boom 

K-pop rock band Day6 on their ‘timeless’ sound and new album Fourever and its ‘ultimate anthem of life’ ahead of KCON date in Hong Kong

Day6, a K-pop rock band, discuss their unexpected success while on hiatus for members’ military service, reveal why their aspirations remain modest and talk about their new album. Photo: JYP Entertainment

The start of the coronavirus pandemic posed significant challenges for Day6. Photo: JYP Entertainment

The group will be attending the first Hong Kong edition of KCON, an annual K-pop convention, at AsiaWorld Expo on March 30-31. Photo: JYP Entertainment

When asked about their sentiment on reuniting after military service, the members agreed that their bond had deepened. Photo: JYP Entertainment

Martin Scorsese, the Coen brothers were fans: unique New York video rental shop recalled in documentary Kim’s Video

A still from the documentary Kim’s Video with Kim Yong-man, former owner of Kim’s Video and Music. Photo: courtesy of Drafthouse Films

A still from documentary Kim’s Video shows Kim Yong-man, former owner of Kim’s Video and Music. An icon of Manhattan’s East Village in New York, its eclectic film collection attracted 250,000 members, and Hollywood directors including Martin Scorsese. Photo: courtesy of Drafthouse Films

Inside a Kim’s Video and Music shop, from the documentary Kim’s Video. Photo: courtesy of Drafthouse Films

Kim Yong-man, former owner of Kim’s Video and Music. Photo: courtesy of Kim Yong-man

A Kim’s Video store in a still from the documentary of the same name. Photo: courtesy of Drafthouse Films

A poster for the documentary Kim’s Video. Photo: courtesy of Drafthouse Films

Teenager Alma Deutscher shows she’s a rare talent as composer, conductor, pianist and violinist in City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong concert

Alma Deutscher, 18, showed conducts the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong in a performance of her work Waltz of the Sirens at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on February 4. Photo: CCOHK

Alma Deutscher performing as soloist in her own Concerto for Violin in G minor with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, conducted by Vahan Mardirossian. Photo: CCOHK

Alma Deutscher performing as soloist in her own Concerto for Violin in G minor. Her playing was wooden and somewhat detached from that of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Photo: CCOHK

Alma Deutscher performing as soloist in her own Concerto for Piano in E flat major with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Photo: CCOHK

How famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin and his pianist sister Hephzibah’s concert in 1960s Bonn changed Hong Kong Sinfonietta music director’s life

Violinist Yehudi Menuhin (left) and his pianist sister Hephzibah Menuhin perform in New York in 1937 aged 20 and 16, respectively. Hong Kong Sinfonietta music director Christoph Poppen explains how the siblings made him decide he wanted to be a musician. Photo: Getty Images

Poppen says his strongest motivation to be a musician is to touch people’s hearts. Photo: Hong Kong Sinfonietta

‘Cancelling wasn’t an option’: violinist Tianwa Yang on the pressure of being a child prodigy in China

Violinist Tianwa Yang on her start in music, the demands of her Beijing teachers and discovering peace in Germany. Photo: Andrej Grilc

Yang on stage in 1992. She entered her first competition when she was five. Photo: courtesy of Tianwa Yang 

Yang on stage in 1993. Photo: courtesy of Tianwa Yang 

Yang practising in 1993. When she was 10, she was accepted to study with Professor Lin Yaoji. Photo: courtesy of Tianwa Yang 

Yang did an exchange programme at the Karlsruhe University of Music as a teen. Photo: Irene Zandel

Conductor Case Scaglione, Yang and the Hong Kong Philharmonic receive the audience’s applause after their 2014 concert “American Monuments”. Photo: HK Phil 

Yang now lives in Munich, Germany. Photo: Andrej Grilc

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Violinist Danny Koo’s appearances on Korean reality television shows and competitions have been done to make classical music more accessible to the public
Koo interacts with his fans on social media and posts his practices online just like K-pop idols do, and he has a fandom that follows his every move


Sometimes called an ‘idol of classical music’, South Korean violinist Danny Koo wants to make his style and genre of music more accessible to the public – and so far, he is succeeding.


South Korean celebrities

Korea Times