INTO THE LIGHT MUSIC OF KOREA 4

Geomungo Factory will transport you back to the literati's elegant music salon in the past in one moment and then dazzle you with an avant-garde multi-media theatrical performance in the next. Geomungo Factory plays a bold, exciting, contemporary, and global music inspired by the centuries-old traditions of Korea’s most noble instrument. BiographyGeomungo Factory first came together in 2007 when a group of young college students began meeting to share their stories and music with each other. Their enthusiasm centered on their choice of instrument, the Geomungo, a six string Korean zither. Their passion for traditional Korean music soon has had leaded them onto a path of exploration with a clear sense of mission: to present the fascinating sound of the Geomungo to global audience. As the group’s name implies, Geomungo Factory is ready to give their fans a totally immersive Geomungo experience, with music ranging from the traditional to the contemporary.

Easternox combines the relaxed attitude of Smooth Jazz with the manic energy of Korean Pungmul, and fuses them all together with a genre-blending attitude that perfectly conveys the Korean concept of ‘heung’ (excitement and fun through the loss of one’s loss of inhibitions). Under the leadership of LEE Suk-jin, band members, Mina Park (Daegeum bamboo flute), KIM Seung-Jin (keyboards), CHANG Tae-soon (drums), and CHOI Young-jin (Korean percussion) create an exciting cross-cultural encounter that opens new expressive possibilities for modern Korean music.

PARK Kyung-so (South Korea) is one of the Korea's most active Gayageum artists playing in various fields such as traditional, contemporary music with an open-mind to experiment, avant-garde, as well as conversance with pop and classical Korean music. As an internationally promising gayageum artist, PARK has been invited from many festivals and was selected for various musical projects such as KOR-AUS project “makroPHONIA” and “One Beat” fellow, which is supported by the Department of States of the U.S.

The two-stringed, spiked fiddle is one of the most ubiquitous musical legacies of mankind, and Its local variant in Korea is “Haegeum.” It is believed that the Haegeum came to Korea by way of China during the Koryo period (792-1392) and is related to the Chinese Huqin, ("Haegeum" being the Sino-Korean translation of "Huqin"). Despite their common ancestor, Haegeum retained much of its authentic form and sound, while Chinese Huqin later evolved into the modern instrument Erhu, which now uses a western style bow and is played with vibrato like a violin.Despite its simple construction, Haegeum is notoriously difficult to learn and a true master of Haegeum might appear only once in a generation. LEE Seung-hee is now on her way to achieve this goal. Beginning her career in performance in 1993, LEE Seung-hee has concertized widely throughout Korea as well as participating in numerous international festivals and competitions, including the Festival Urban + Aboriginal XVI (Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Utrecht, and Amsterdam), Kajin Hoesang (presented as part of Germany’s Festival auf Korea) and in the USA at the University of North Texas. Since 2002, she has been a member of the innovative Korean Traditional Ensemble, Jeong Ga Ak Hoe.

The word "Bulsechul" roughly translates as "something extraordinary and without equal." Indeed, the young musicians in Bulsechul take their name very seriously - proving themselves in every performance. Bulsechul creates a music that is utterly authentic, while at the same time appealing to contemporary sensibilities; modern and ambitious without being trendy or superficial. Their mission statement is no less extraordinary than the name they have chosen for themselves, namely to create a "City of Pungryu!" (Pungryu is the foundation for all traditional Korean aesthetics - the love of nature, the elegant cadence of poetry, graceful dances, and of course, music). Each member of Bulsechul is an accomplished master of his instrument: Gayageum, Geomungo, (both are zithers, one plucked, the other struck with a dowel), Ajaeng (a bowed zither), Daegeum (a bamboo flute), Haegeum (a two-string fiddle) and Piri (a bamboo oboe) and Guitar. 

Coreyah is a Korean/world music band is comprised of four Korean traditional musical instruments' players, one guitarist, and one world percussionist. The group’s unique composition allows them to blend a wide range of genres; pansori (a traditional Korean narrative song), western rock, Gypsy music from the Balkan Peninsula, South American music, and African music (the final two of which juxtapose sorrow and joy). Rather than the typical cosmopolitan music which exhibits no specific nationality, songs of Coreyah reflect the Korean ethnicity. Coreyah prefers to play “rough” tunes that include Korean traditional vocal and playing styles which do not fit the measures of western musical standards. Like contemporary Seoul, a city of mixture of modern and ancient buildings, Coreyah is now creating lively Korean music, while digesting diverse cultural heritages from around the world. Therefore, Coreyah’s music is popular music that attempts to connect present with past.

If the sound of the Gayageum is to be associated with the delicacy and brilliance of traditional Korean culture, the stately, percussive Geomungo can be said to personify the literati's most profound meditations and search for enlightenment. An ancient legend recorded in the Silla kogi (The Records of Silla) tells of how the Wang San-ak, the Prime Minister of Goguryo modified a Chinese Guqin into something suitable for Korean music. Delighted with his creation, Wang began to improvise hundreds of songs. While he was playing, a black crane flew into his chamber and began dancing, thereafter; the new instrument came to be known as the "Hyeongeum" ("black crane zither"). The current name, "Geomungo" is the representation of Koreanization of the original Chinese characters.

Cheongbae (Playing with the Spirit of Nature) - For most of the 5000 years of Korean history, traditional arts and music existed in two separate, broadly defined and socially distinct categories: the otherworldly spiritual minimalism of the literati and yangban (aristocracy) and the vigorous, earthy sensuality of the commoners. The artistic world of the aristocracy was defined by the modesty, self-restraint and sobriety of Neo-Confucian ethics while the majority of Korean merchants and peasantry embraced the passionate, mystical and at times irreverent and anarchic expression of shamanism.

“Translating Korean Tradition into a Contemporary Musical Language.”(Soulful sounds to soothe the modern spirit) - “Translating Korean Tradition into a Contemporary Musical Language.”Ensemble SINAWI’s explorations of Korea’s musical heritage has led them to discover the tremendous amount of expressive potential in adapting traditional rhythms and melodies to create new and authentical Korean improvisational musical forms. Drawing inspiration from the ecstatic rhythms of Pungmul, shaman rituals and the impassioned melodies of Pansori and Sanjo, Ensemble SINAWI crafted a musical bridge from Joseon to Jazz.Lee Bongguen’s vocal and chamber group consist an Ajaeng bowed psaltery, Gayageum zither and traditional Korean percussion perform passionate modern versions of classic Pansori, and Shamanistic rituals or Gut (굿) as well as original compositions by pianist and ensemble director, Jeong Songhee. There is an intimacy in ensemble SINAWI's music, perhaps that is why they perform so many love songs.

For Chanyun Park, the Geomungo's mysterious resonance provides the endless source of inspiration and wonder. By using her ancient instrument's six silk strings and a bamboo plectrum only, she has become a master storyteller, describing new and unexplored worlds of beauty and solitude, passion and possibility.Over the past decade, Chanyun's boundless creativity has been expressed in numerous artistic collaborations. She was one of the founding members of the pioneering Korean World music group, The Forest (The 林) that started out in 2001. The experience there as a performer inspired her to explore other artistic mediums, including composing and performing the soundtracks for the film "King Yebi" (Winner of the 2002 Seoul Performing Arts Festival "Best Picture Award"), and "Cinema Dance" (2005), as well as scoring and producing “Um,” a showcase for young neo-traditional choreographers. Whether she is writing works for her own performance, dance, film or for multi-media presentations, her compositions embody the bold spirit of Changjak Kugak ("Creative" Kugak). Chanyun’s music is well represented in a piece from her album in 2010, Geomungo Story, “Breaths,” which scored for Geomungo and Seanghwang (a free-reed mouth organ, similar to the Chinese Sheng).