Producer Kang Sun-ae's Nightmares of Stage Fumbles

The Chosun Ilbo · Kang Seon-ae · 2026-11-05 15:37 UTC

Producer Kang Sun-aes Nightmares of Stage Fumbles One Word a Day Managing 120 annual performances fuels intense pre-show dreams of onstage failures

I’m in a terrible bind. My performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is just hours away, yet my fingers have started to tangle. Even parts that went smoothly during practice are now jumbled in my mind. I can only hope the “god of music” descends and moves my fingers during the actual performance.

Sitting back at the piano, glaring at the sheet music to steel myself, the stage manager suddenly knocks on the waiting room door. The sound echoes like orchestra cymbals. Clutching the now crumpled score, I leave the room.

Thankfully, this is just a dream. I’m not a performer but a producer who creates concerts. Yet, I often have such dreams before a show. For instance, I might dream of being a violinist in a string quartet, only to struggle with the viola part right before the performance. Once, I dreamed that Yuja Wang, the world-renowned pianist scheduled for a talk concert I organized, left the stage after just 15 minutes of speaking without playing a single note.

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