Gugak center, Lee Young-hee to collaborate in New York

The National Gugak Center will hold a special fashion and music gala with hanbok designer Lee Young-hee in New York in October to commemorate the 130th anniversary of ties between Korea and the United States.

One-hundred musicians will play royal court banquet music entitled “Music of Peace, Dream of the Dynasty,” adapted from Bongsudangjinchan Banquet, which was dedicated to the 60th birthday of Hyegyeonggung Hong, the mother of King Jeongjo. About 50 other performers, including dancers, will also take part in the event. 

“It is the first time to have all 150 members performing together in the United States,” said an official at the state-run center for “gugak,” traditional Korean music.

The venue and date haven’t been set yet, but the gugak center said it hopes to hold the event at Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious concert halls in the Big Apple.

The rare collaboration between the country’s leading traditional music troupe and the fashion designer has already gained recognition here after they held a similar event last year in Seoul.

“Music of Peace, Dream of the Dynasty” is one of the gugak center’s signature performances that reenacts royal customs of song, music, dance and cuisine. The center has been staging the 45-minute-long piece at various cultural events including the 2002 World Cup Cultural Festival and at the opening ceremony of the 2005 Frankfurt International Book Fair.

Not only in the United States, the gugak center will make inroads into other parts of the world, in an effort to spread Korean traditional music.

“We plan to perform in the Netherlands in April at the invitation of RASA center for World Cultures and in Venice, Italy in September,” said Lee Dong-bok, director general of the center. They also plan to perform in other parts of the world including Iran, Vietnam and China this year, he added. Lee, the master of daegum, a Korean bamboo flute, has been leading the gugak center since late last year.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)