Violinist Danny Koo breaks every stereotype about classical musicians. The 32-year-old Korean American artist, sometimes referred to as an “idol of classical music,” has ventured out of the high tower of classical music to bring it closer to the public.To make classical music more enjoyable for everyone, Koo defies stereotypes within the genre. In addition to performing concerts alongside a diverse range of artists, he appeared in music competition shows JTBC’s “SuperBand 2” and MBC’s “King of Mask Singer” in 2021 and shared his private life through MBC’s reality show “Home Alone” in February. He is a host for the Pinkfong YouTube channel, famous for the global phenomenon “Baby Shark,” and “Pinkfong Classic” concert series for children.The New England Conservatory alum enjoys a fandom similar to K-pop idols, thanks to active engagement with fans through social media. Fans share every little detail of his life — Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) type, favorite musicians, tattoos and chronicles of events he has participated in since he started his music career in Korea in 2016 — and his classical concerts often make rare scenes with large audiences of young people.“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 said during a recent interview with The Korea Times last week, ahead of the release of his new album “Moonlight.”
During the reality show, Koo has been so full of energy with a positive attitude, always pushing himself to move forward and lead a diligent life and make every second of his day count. Through the program he earned the nicknames “routine man” and “icon of positivity” from the public.Koo says appearing on a popular reality show is one of his many activities to break 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 its fans can be the key.“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 livestreaming services like Naver V Live. They share videos of their training with fans,” he said.“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 토토사이트 is key.”