I am delighted to host the 11th K-Music Festival as part of the Connected Korea Campaign. The creativity of music serves as a golden key that opens the door to a new future, where the sounds of tradition are reinterpreted in the present, and the present reconnects with the past, offering an aesthetic experience of time in a new taste. This year is particularly meaningful as the National Changgeuk Company of Korea will be premiering Lear in the United Kingdom.
The festival opens on 3 October with the National Changgeuk Company’s highly anticipated new production, this international premiere of Lear – a major restaging of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy at the Barbican Centre – will offer an unmissable experience to London audiences.
This year’s K-Music Festival also presents an outstanding selection of some of Korea’s best female artists, with everything from jazz to classical music to fusion. To mark her 30-year career as a jazz singer, Youn Sun Nah presents her 12th album Elles joined by France’s finest pianist Bojan Z for an intimate concert at Islington’s Union Chapel.
Well-known for her exceptional vocal mastery, soprano Hera Hyesang Park will make her K-Music Festival debut with a fresh reinterpretation of traditional Korean songs, while the legendary Black String, led by Younjeong Heo will premiere music from their
brand-new album released this autumn, along with acclaimed works from Karma and Mask Dance.
We are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Bloomsbury Festival to present a master of the Korean Piri, SEAYOOL featuring his contemporary classical work Suite for Jeju in collaboration with the Ligeti Quartet.
The festival will also continue its celebration of friendship with the EFG London Jazz Festival showcasing two remarkable Korean bands at the Southbank Centre.
First up is SMTO No-Noise, a dynamic ensemble led by Ilwoo Lee of the post-rock sensation Jambinai, alongside the outstanding artists from the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (SMTO). The festival will conclude with Heemoon Lee, the visionary and captivating vocalist of SsingSsing, who dazzled London audiences with his electrifying performance, returning to the festival with his band, OBANGSINGWA to perform his new album, SPANGLE
We look forward to sharing these exceptional performances with you this autumn.
Seunghye SUN, Ph.D. FRSA Director, Korean Cultural Centre UK
Since being opened in London by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2008, the KCCUK has presented year-round exhibition programmes, film festivals as well as traditional and contemporary musical performances. From the KCCUK’s central London location (just off Trafalgar Square), the institution’s dedicated cultural team work to further develop established cultural projects, introduce new opportunities to expand Korean programmes in the UK and encourage ongoing cultural exchange.
The Guardian on NCCK’s Trojan Women at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival
Following their huge success at the Edinburgh International Festival, the National Changgeuk Company of Korea returns to the UK to open the K-Music Festival with Lear at the Barbican Centre.
This major new production, critically acclaimed at its premiere in 2022, retells a familiar story in the form of Changgeuk. This culturally significant and artistically rich theatrical music form in Korea blends music, dance, and drama to create immersive storytelling experiences rooted in Korean tradition, pansori and its heritage.
Leading creatives include director and choreographer Jung Young-doo, Pai Sam-shik, one of the greatest playwrights of Korea, Pansori scores composed by Han Seung-seok, with music written by Jung Jae-il (Parasite, Squid Game) whose London debut concert received a standing ovation by the audience at the Barbican Hall last year. Lee Tae-sup’s stunning set design brings a quiet but vibrant world of water on stage, drawing us to the deep, bottomless abyss of the human mind.
The National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s Lear is presented by the Barbican Centre in partnership with K-Music Festival and National Changgeuk Company of Korea. The NCCK is part of the National Theatre of Korea and it has been presenting traditional Korean opera for the past six decades.
Youn Sun Nah with Bojan Z
Sunday 6 October Union Chapel
‘Minimalism makes it harder to elide choices’
Financial Times on album Elles
Youn Sun Nah Vocal
Bojan Zulfikarpašić Piano
The enchanting voice of the remarkable Youn Sun Nah returns to the K-Music Festival with a new opus and a piano-voice duo tour following the sucesses of her Waking World and her quartet tour.
To mark her 30 year career as a female jazz singer, her 12th album Elles pays tribute to women’s voices, and in particular to some of the singers who have marked Youn Sun Nah’s career, from Nina Simone to Roberta Flack, via Björk and Edith Piaf, across eras and musical borders.
“I first heard Nina Simone’s version of ‘Feeling Good’ when I was in high school,” says Youn Sun Nah. “From the moment I decided to study jazz, I listened to her music all the time. Nina Simone is like a shaman. She’s not just a singer – she is the music.”
Recorded earlier this year in New York for the first time as a keyboard-voice duo with American pianist Jon Cowherd, this new album will be brought to the Union Chapel stage with Bojan Z, one of France’s finest pianist for an intimate and unforgettable night of music.
A master and composer of the traditional Korean Piri (bamboo flute) SEAYOOL’s contemporary classical work Suite for Jeju beautifully expresses the poignant narrative and beautiful scenery of Jeju Island, reinterpreting the diction of traditional instruments while masterfully merging piri and string instruments.
Through the process of translating contemporary sensations intoauditory experiences, SEAYOOL enables audiences the chance to perceive the zeitgeist through music. His work explores the theme of “how we perceive,” presented in settings ranging from fully improvised to fully scored.
SEAYOOL will be joined in this special performance by the Ligeti Quartet to mark this UK premiere. Since its formation in 2010, the Ligeti Quartet has been at the forefront of modern and contemporary music, performing at landmark venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Barbican Hall.
This event is presented in partnership with Bloomsbury Festival.
With her exceptional vocal mastery, soprano Hera Hyesang Park makes her K-Music Festival debut this year with a fresh reinterpretation of traditional Korean songs following her concert at the Edinburgh International Festival this summer.
Hera Hyesang Park, a Juilliard graduate known for her “brilliant tone” and “pure joy and excitement”, merges her Korean heritage with Western training, creating a diverse musical experience.
Joining her on stage is her long-time musical collaborator, pianist Bretton Brown, and the extraordinary tenor David Junghoon Kim. Their combined talents will add a unique dimension to this exceptional concert. The performance will also showcase tracks from her new album, Breathe.
David Junghoon Kim is a tenor whose accolades include wins at the Francisco Viñas, Voci Verdiane, and Toulouse singing competitions. Kim’s powerful and emotive performances have earned him notable debuts at prestigious venues such as the Royal Opera House, Zürich Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival.
‘It’s a celebration of vocal brilliance and cultural depth, promising a night of unforgettable music and emotional resonance’
Black String
Wednesday 30 October
Kings Place Hall 1
‘A
spellbinding experience’
The Guardian
Younjeong Heo Geomungo
Jean Oh Guitar
Aram Lee Daegeum
Minwang Hwang Drums
The Songlines Music Awards winner Black String will premiere music from their brand new album out this autumn along with their beloved songs from previous releases Karma (2019) and Mask Dance (2016).
Led by Younjeong Heo, the legendary master of geomungo (zither), the band includes: Jean Oh on guitars, Aram Lee on daegeum (flute) and yanggeum (hammered dulcimer) and percussionist and vocalist Minwang Hwang. Black String creates extraordinary, enigmatic sounds from the ancient instruments and their unique musical language in a mix that swings comfortably between East and West, Korean folk and jazz.
Performing with the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (SMTO), No-Noise are a dynamic ensemble led by both Lee Il-woo, the visionary behind the post-rock sensation Jambinai and Sung Si-young, the artistic director and vocalist of the band.
SMTO No-Noise create a new powerful sound seamlessly blending traditional Korean instruments such as saenghwang (mouthorgan), gayagem (zither with 12 strings), piri (bamboo flute) and jing (large gong) with western sounds of guitar and synthesizer that is not noise but pure harmony.
SMTO No-Noise’s latest creation, ‘Gwang Gwang, Geong Geong,’ is a spellbinding composition inspired by the vibrant energy of ‘Gwangjang’ (Town Square), exploding the square’s enduring spirit into a lively cacophony, showcasing No-Noise’s unmatched musical talent.
This programme is presented in partnership with the Sejong Center and the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Heemoon Lee, the visionary and captivating vocalist of SsingSsing, who dazzled audiences at the Purcell Room in 2018 returns to the Southbank Centre with his band OBANGSINGWA to perform his new album, SPANGLE.
A powerhouse of Korean music, Lee injects fresh energy and new life into time-honoured Korean folk songs (Minyo). Seamlessly blending Minyo with a kaleidoscope of genres – jitterbug, pop, dance, rock, and blues – Lee captivates audiences with his unparalleled talent and pioneering spirit.
Expect to be taken on a transcendental musical journey that knows no bounds. Featuring ‘SPANGLE’, a psychedelic Neo Minyo masterpiece, their hilarious show in distinguished costumes and with a theatrical twist will bring pure joy and transform the Southbank Centre into a vibrant dance club.
This programme is presented in partnership with the EFG London Jazz Festival.
