Dogs, Cats, and Geese... An Animal Orchestra Appears at a Classical Concert

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Mapo Cultural Foundation announced on the 27th that it will present the marionette ensemble concert "Marionette Ensemble M" for children as part of the "6th Mapo M Classic Festival."

"Marionette Ensemble M" is a special performance for children featuring a fairy-tale-like concert performed by a nine-member wooden marionette puppet ensemble. The puppet production and direction are handled by Moon Suho, a master of Korean marionettes from the theater company Moksung. Audiences can meet marionette puppets created by this object artist, who has been active both domestically and internationally, including the 2019 Pyeongchang Cultural Olympics giant marionette Danjong parade and the 2019 Prague World Stage Art Exhibition as the first Asian invited artist.

Animals playing classical instruments such as a dog playing the horn, a goose playing the piano, and a cat playing the violin perform a variety of songs ranging from children's familiar nursery rhymes like Baby Shark and Banana Cha-Cha to classical and jazz music.

The performance will be held face-to-face on the 30th at the Mapo Art Center PlayMAC. In accordance with government quarantine guidelines, only 50 audience members will be accepted through advance registration. The performance will also be available for replay on the Mapo Cultural Foundation's YouTube channel.

The Big Band Raon, which will provide live music, is a jazz orchestra founded in August 2015 by young musicians active in popular music and broadcast music. They have a diverse repertoire including jazz, pop, Korean popular songs, film music, and folk songs, and perform various concerts such as regular concerts, visiting concerts, and youth concerts with a brilliant and dynamic ensemble mainly featuring wind instruments.

Song Jeyong, CEO of the Mapo Cultural Foundation, said, "We plan to present a high-quality performance that children and adults can enjoy together," and added, "We ask for your great interest so that the experience of coming to the concert hall and listening to classical music can become familiar to children."