Lecture concert to help international audiences appreciate traditional Korean music

Gayageum player Kim So-yeon / Courtesy of @astound30_studio

By Jon Dunbar

• Published Oct 21, 2024 1:50 PM KST
• Updated Oct 22, 2024 10:22 AM KST

Of all the elements of Korean culture that are attracting massive attention worldwide right now, there's one common element: translation has played a part in improving accessibility to foreign language-speaking listeners, readers and watchers.

Kim So-yeon, a musician who plays the "gayageum," a traditional Korean zither, realized the need for language assistance in her own field, traditional Korean music, known as "gugak." She decided to offer lecture concerts on gugak to help foreign gugak lovers expand their appreciation.

"The reason I began offering these events started when an international friend attended a Korean traditional performance (with me) at the National Gugak Center," Kim told The Korea Times. "While she enjoyed the performance, she couldn't fully understand what she was watching since everything — from the pamphlets to the performance — was in Korean. I couldn't explain (it) during the show because of the quiet setting. This experience made me think, 'Why not create my own lecture concert focused on Korean traditional music?'"

Since then, she's been offering lectures accompanying live music performances, covering the gayageum as well as a wide range of Korean traditional music, including various instruments, vocal pieces and dance.

"For vocal music, I wanted to ensure that international audiences could understand what the singers were performing," she said. "To address this, I developed subtitles for each performance set. For example, during a 10-minute pansori performance, I create subtitles for each short phrase, using a PowerPoint presentation."

Kim mastered English at a young age, when her family moved to Kuwait for her father's job and she was put in an international school from the fourth grade of elementary school until the end of the first grade of middle school.

"During that time, I was the only Asian student, and I had to quickly adapt to learning English to navigate daily life. This experience had a profound impact on me, as it led me to make many international friends and develop an open mind toward different races and cultures," she said.

"After returning to Korea, I realized I had only played Western instruments like the flute and trumpet. This prompted me to explore Korean traditional music, and I began learning the gayageum, initially as a hobby."

Her enthusiasm for the instrument grew from there, eventually becoming her main focus. She attended the National High School of Traditional Korean Arts and then pursued both bachelor's and master's degrees at the Korean National University of Arts (K-ARTS). To further advance her ability to lecture to both international and Korean audiences, she then continued her studies in a doctorate program at Ewha Womans University. She has completed all her coursework, with only her dissertation remaining before she becomes a doctor of gayageum. She also teaches gayageum lessons at K-ARTS in the liberal arts course and as a required course for vocal music majors at K-ARTS.

"Additionally, to maintain my English skills, I regularly participate in a study group with others who have lived abroad for over a year and are fluent in English," she added.

These days, Kim says interest in gugak is growing, especially in line with the heightened interest in Korean pop culture worldwide.

"The globalization of Korean pop culture, fueled by K-pop, is helping gugak ride the wave of increased international curiosity about all things Korean. As K-pop garners global attention, some of that interest spills over into traditional culture, including gugak, creating new opportunities for its growth and appreciation worldwide," she said.

"Globally, gugak is becoming increasingly integrated into South Korea's cultural diplomacy efforts. Korean embassies, cultural centers and institutions like the Korean Cultural Centers regularly organize performances and workshops that feature traditional music. This international exposure is helping to boost awareness and interest in gugak."

For her next lecture concert, she will give a talk in English accompanied by performances of some well-known genres of Korean traditional vocal music.

This includes pansori, a traditional storytelling genre of vocal performance, with an example provided by a male "sorikkun," or singer, and a "gosu" (drummer). There will also be a performance of gagok, featuring two men and women singers, plus musicians playing five instruments — "daegeum" (bamboo flute), "haegeum" (fiddle), "janggu" (hourglass drum), "piri" (double-reed flute) and, of course, gayageum, played by Kim. And there will be a "minyo," or folk music, performance featuring the same five instruments.

"Additionally, I'm planning a small workshop during the event where international audiences can sing with the performers," she added.

Kim revealed her big plans for future lecture concerts.

"I wanted to go big and then get smaller performances but getting deeper into each aspects!" she said. "For example, in December I will concentrate only on a gayageum lecture and performance. After that, I plan to cover string, wind and percussion instruments in detail, before moving onto vocal music and dance."

For this upcoming event, Kim is partnering with several sponsors familiar to her target foreign audience, including Rabbithole Arcade Pub, Casa Amigo, Seoul Culture Club and Seoul Night Life. Ticket holders for the lecture concert can receive a 10 percent discount at those businesses.

"Initially, I didn't feel the need for sponsors because my performances were mostly for Korean audiences and friends. However, after I started offering lecture concerts for international audiences, I noticed that mainly Korean friends who had lived abroad and spoke English were attending," she said.

"Looking forward, I've already partnered with major international communities. Beyond lectures and live performances, I'll also be offering workshops to teach participants about Korean traditional music. I'm planning to organize official concerts where workshop participants can perform and showcase what they've learned, encouraging others to join future events."

The next lecture concert starts at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at Seolleung Art Hall in southern Seoul. Tickets cost 15,000 won ($11).

Follow @soyeon_ga_ya_geum on Instagram for more information and a link to ticket preregistration.