Traditional music orchestra festival to bring regional flair, cross-genre collaborations

The second edition of the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra Festival is set to kick off on Oct. 15 with more audience-friendly repertoire and collaborations with performers from other genres.

The festival, launched last year in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will run through Oct. 26 at the Sejong Center’s M Theater in Seoul.

During a press conference Monday, Ahn Ho-sang, CEO of the Sejong Center, Park Bum-hoon, composer and chair of the festival committee, and the artistic directors and conductors of the participating orchestras shared their vision for the festival -- to create the traditional music closer to the public.

The tradition of Korean gugak orchestras dates back to the founding of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra in March 1965. As the genre approaches its 60th anniversary, organizers hope the festival will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Korean orchestral music.

“In the history of arts, gugak orchestras are still quite young. We believe and hope this festival can help develop and define its future,” Ahn said.

What's new this year?

The inaugural 2023 festival was a resounding success, with tickets selling out within 20 minutes, highlighting the potential for traditional Korean music to resonate with contemporary audiences, according to the festival committee.

A total of 4,959 attendees and 512 musicians participated in the festival’s debut. Unlike last year’s free admission, this year tickets will be priced at 10,000 won ($7.57) per seat.

“The admission fee is introduced to encourage more audience participation and to promote the development of Korean music and a proper performance culture. The mindset and sense of responsibility of those preparing and participating in the festival are also changing,” Ahn added.

The festival will feature performances by nine national and city gugak orchestras, along with a special performance by the newly established Pyeongtaek City Traditional Orchestra.

The KBS Traditional Music Orchestra will open the festival on Oct. 15, followed by the Pyeongtaek City Traditional Orchestra (Oct. 16), the Jeonbuk State Gugak Center’s Orchestra (Oct. 17), the National Gugak Center’s Contemporary Gugak Orchestra (Oct. 18), and the Cheonan City Arts Company’s Orchestra (Oct. 19). Additional performances include the Gangwon Provincial Gugak Orchestra (Oct. 22), the Daegu Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra (Oct. 23), the Yeongdong Nangye Gugak Troupe (Oct. 24), the Busan Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (Oct. 25) and the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra, which will close the festival on Oct. 26.

Regional flair, cross-genre collaborations

To achieve the goal of creating a more audience-centered experience and bringing traditional music closer to the people, orchestras are offering diverse programs and renowned musicians.

The KBS Traditional Music Orchestra said while last year’s program focused more on traditional gugak, this year introduces new compositions, such as “Screen Music of K,” a reimagining of soundtracks and theme music from KBS dramas and shows, performed in a traditional orchestral style. Another highlight is “Rhapsody of Life,” which blends well-known pop songs with traditional Korean orchestral music, featuring crossover singer Park Hyun-soo.

A special performance by the Pyeongtaek City Traditional Orchestra, which in July became the first city gugak orchestra established since 2005, will present a new piece inspired by traditional Korean shamanic melodies. The orchestra will collaborate with traditional musicians from across Asia, including Japan’s koto, Vietnam’s dan tranh, and China’s erhu players. Park Bum-hoon will also perform as a piri player.

The Jeonbuk State Gugak Center’s Orchestra will highlight its roots in pansori, a traditional Korean vocal art, by performing pieces inspired by Jeokbyeok-ga and Chunhyang-ga, two of the five surviving stories of the pansori storytelling tradition.

The Cheonan City Arts Company’s Orchestra will present a piece inspired by the independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, who was born in Cheonan, while the Daegu Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra will perform a work inspired by Daegu’s famous climbing ivy at Cheongna Hill, and the Yeongdong Nangye Gugak Troupe will offer a piece inspired by the scenic Mount Woryubong.

The Gangwon Provincial Gugak Orchestra will feature pansori star singer Kim Jun-su.

This year’s festival also welcomes cross-genre collaborations with renowned musicians from other genres.

Guitarist Kim Do-kyoon will perform with the National Gugak Center's Contemporary Gugak Orchestra while cellist Hong Jin-ho will join the Busan Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra. Additionally, pianist Yang Bang-eon and folk singer Lee Hee-moon will collaborate with the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra for the festival’s closing performance.

Guitarist Kim said, “Each time I perform with gugak orchestras, it feels like an entire universe unfolds. I believe the road map to the future of music lies within our traditional sounds.”