What will Yoo In-sang perform at the IMPRESSION concert in Jeonju?

Yoo In-sang will present four acts centered on the traditional drum, including binari, an expressive seoljanggu performance, pansori gobeop and the improvised ensemble piece Pungryu Sinawi. The program presents the drum as an autonomous musical voice.

Why is Yoo In-sang putting the gosu at the center of the performance?

Yoo is using the concert to challenge the traditional arrangement in which the gosu supports the singer from the background. He hopes to demonstrate that ancient rhythms can develop into a dynamic, modern musical language while highlighting the drummer’s independent artistic role.

Master percussionist takes center stage in historic heritage showcase

Q: When and where is Yoo In-sang’s IMPRESSION concert taking place?

The 70-minute concert will take place at 4 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Eolssu Maru Small Theater in the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Admission is free, and advance reservations open at 9 a.m. Wednesday through the center’s website.

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Summary

Master percussionist Yoo In-sang will headline a pansori-centered concert at the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju on Oct. 24. IMPRESSION, the finale of the center’s 2026 Isujadyeon series, will place the gosu and traditional drum at the forefront rather than behind the singer. The 70-minute program will trace Yoo’s heritage work through four acts, ending with an improvised ensemble performance.

Key Facts

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. at the Eolssu Maru Small Theater, and admission is free with advance reservations required.
IMPRESSION will open with binari, followed by Yoo’s interpretation of seoljanggu and a segment devoted to pansori gobeop, or storytelling drumming.
The final act, Pungryu Sinawi, will combine gueum vocal mouth-sounds with bamboo wind instruments called daepungryu.
Yoo has spent decades directing music and providing rhythmic accompaniment for major national dance and theater productions.

By Lee Kyung-min

Published Oct 13, 2026 2:33 pm KST

Yoo In-sang / Courtesy of National Intangible Heritage Center

In the disciplined world of "pansori," Korea’s traditional narrative storytelling through song, the barrel drummer — or "gosu" — occupies a place of quiet, essential reverence.

For centuries, folklore has maintained that a singer’s success depends first on the drummer, then on the vocalist. Yet despite holding the pulse of the performance, the drummer almost always plays second fiddle, tethered to the singer’s shadow.

Master percussionist Yoo In-sang will reverse that age-old hierarchy on Oct. 24 when he steps to the forefront of the stage at the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

Titled IMPRESSION, the concert serves as the grand finale of the center’s 2026 Isujadyeon series, an annual showcase spotlighting certified successors of Korea’s official intangible cultural heritage. Yoo, a veteran performer who has spent decades directing music and providing rhythmic accompaniment for major national dance and theater productions, will transform the traditional drum from a supportive backdrop into the main event.

Divided into four distinct acts, the performance chronicles Yoo’s journey as a guardian of heritage and an evolving contemporary artist.

The concert opens with "binari," a traditional musical prayer designed to dispel ill fortune and invoke blessings, followed by an expressive "seoljanggu" performance that showcases Yoo’s personal interpretation of historic hour-glass drum rhythms.

The centerpiece of the afternoon, however, lies in the third segment dedicated to pansori "gobeop" — the intricate art of storytelling drumming. Here, Yoo treats the drum as a fully autonomous voice, exploring the delicate balance of tension and space between vocal breath and percussive strike. The showcase culminates in "Pungryu Sinawi," an improvised ensemble piece featuring vocal mouth-sounds (gueum) and bamboo wind instruments (daepungryu), offering a spontaneous dialogue among traditional musicians.

The 70-minute concert will begin at 4 p.m. at the Eolssu Maru Small Theater. Admission is free, although advance reservations open at 9 a.m. Wednesday via the National Intangible Heritage Center website.

For Yoo, the event represents a rare opportunity to step out from behind the singers and dancers he has spent a lifetime supporting. By putting the art of drumming in the spotlight, he said he hopes to show how ancient rhythms can evolve into a dynamic, modern musical language.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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