From BTS's Soju to Cookie Run OST... National Gugak Orchestra 'Soso Concert'

National Gugak Orchestra Organizes Various Programs for Youth

The National Gugak Orchestra, the resident company of the National Theater, announced on the 3rd that it will hold the 'Soso Concert' for boys and girls at the Haerum Theater. Photo by National Gugak Orchestra

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A concert where teenagers can listen to the music of the group BTS’s "Mikrokosmos" and the mobile game "Cookie Run: Kingdom" OST arranged in traditional Korean music (gugak) will be held.

The National Gugak Orchestra, the resident ensemble of the National Theater of Korea, announced on the 3rd that it will perform the "Soso Concert" for boys and girls at the Haerum Theater.

This concert is designed with various programs to awaken teenagers' intellectual curiosity and artistic sensibility through gugak orchestral music. The grand performance by the 70-member gugak orchestra, featuring all members, will be combined with splendid sound, lighting, and video effects, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a concert venue.

The program is arranged with gugak orchestral versions of the familiar mobile game "Cookie Run: Kingdom" BGM and OST, as well as BTS’s "Mikrokosmos." The "Cookie Run: Kingdom" BGM and OST will be displayed on a large screen with video, giving the audience the feeling of being inside the game. For "Mikrokosmos," a mirror ball will be used to decorate the entire Haerum Theater auditorium and stage with starlight, providing a visual production effect.

Previously introduced as commissioned premieres in the orchestral series, composer Choi Ji-hye’s "House of Emotions" and composer Hwang Ho-jun’s "Time of Dew" will showcase the essence of gugak orchestral music to teenagers.

Original compositions reflecting the sensitive emotions of growing adolescents also attract attention. "Nagging," composed based on the composer’s personal experiences with their child, and "Seolum Taryeong," which expresses teenagers’ worries through traditional sounds, lead to empathy among teenagers with cheerful and realistic lyrics. The finale, composer Won Il’s "Sinbaetnori," transforms toys such as a soccer ball, hammer toy, and vuvuzela into musical instruments.

The performance features conductor Lee Seung-hwon, former deputy conductor of the National Gugak Orchestra, director Cheon Jae-hyun, CEO of the creative music group Jeonggaakhoe, lighting designer Song Young-gyeon, and newly joined video designer Kim Hye-min.

The concert will be held at 2 p.m. on the 27th at the Haerum Theater of the National Theater of Korea.