November 11-12, National Gugak Center Creative Orchestra 'Cheongchun, Cheong-eoram' Performance
Stage Featuring 2 Conductors and 4 Composers Selected Through Competition
The National Gugak Center Creative Orchestra presents a fresh stage by selecting two conductors and four composers through a public competition as part of the 'Youth, Cheong-eo-ram' program. Photo by National Gugak Center
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Emerging conductors and composers presenting traditional Korean orchestral music with passion and fresh perspectives will showcase a new stage with the National Gugak Center Creative Orchestra.
On the 9th, the National Gugak Center announced that the Creative Orchestra’s planned performance, "Youth, Cheong-eo-ram," will be held on the 11th and 12th at the National Gugak Center’s Yeaakdang stage.
"Youth, Cheong-eo-ram" is a program launched in 2019 to discover emerging artists in the Creative Orchestra, aiming to resolve difficulties in finding conductors and to expand the base of traditional Korean orchestral music. This year, the program has expanded its scope to include composers for traditional Korean orchestral music, promising passionate performances by new conductors and composers.
Selected through a public contest in May, conductors Lee Jaehoon and Yoo Soongsan are recognized as next-generation conductors attracting attention for their active activities and unique musical interpretations in the field of traditional Korean orchestral music. Compositions by young composers under 35 were also solicited, and Kim Sanha (The Path of Leaf Veins), Cho Heewon (Sin-si), Kim Junho (Inwangjesaekdo for Traditional Korean Orchestra), and Choi Minjun (Haechi for Daegeum and Traditional Korean Orchestra) were selected as composers for this performance.
The performance will consist of a total of seven traditional Korean orchestral works, including one concerto selected through the contest and three orchestral pieces. On the 11th, conductor Lee Jaehoon will lead the performance, and on the 12th, conductor Yoo Soongsan will present their own interpretations to deliver unique music.
Conductor Lee Jaehoon, who will take the stage on the 11th, majored in percussion and is currently active as a performer with the Cheongju City Gugak Orchestra. He began conducting to become a better performer and is expanding his musical scope while studying conducting in the doctoral program at Hanyang University. He serves as the artistic director and conductor of the Korean music orchestra "Baron" and was also selected for the National Gugak Orchestra’s "Conductor Project."
Conductor Yoo Soongsan, who will conduct the performance on the 12th, majored in Western classical music. Having experience with instruments such as violin and piano, he naturally expanded his fields to conducting and composing. He studied orchestral conducting under Jeong Chiyong at the Korea National University of Arts and is currently majoring in traditional Korean music conducting at the same institution’s Traditional Arts Department. He has been recognized for his composing talent, winning first place at the K-arts International Composition Competition and the grand prize in the composition category at the Gimhae Gayageum Competition.
The newly selected young composers this year?Kim Sanha, Cho Heewon, Kim Junho, and Choi Minjun?are rare young talents in the traditional Korean music scene. On the 11th, works by Kim Sanha and Cho Heewon will be performed under the direction of Lee Jaehoon. In Kim Sanha’s composition "The Path of Leaf Veins," the water flowing inside a tree from leaf to root can be experienced through music, and Cho Heewon’s work "Sin-si (神市)" tells a mythical narrative based on the capital city "Sin-si," said to have been established by Hwanung.
On the 12th, under Yoo Soongsan’s direction, works by Kim Junho and Choi Minjun will be introduced. Kim Junho’s "Inwangjesaekdo" musically depicts the moment when mist rises after rain, and Choi Minjun’s "Haechi for Daegeum and Traditional Korean Orchestra" expresses the legendary creature "Haechi," known for judging right and wrong and good and evil.
Additionally, Hwang Hojun’s composition "Bardo" will be performed on both days, allowing the audience to compare the musical colors expressed by the two conductors. Conductor Lee Jaehoon plans to reveal emotional depth through subtle rhythmic changes, while conductor Yoo Soongsan will delicately and harmoniously express the richly harmonized thematic melodies, highlighting their distinct musical colors.
The performances will be held at the National Gugak Center Yeaakdang at 7:30 PM on the 11th and 3:00 PM on the 12th. Ticket prices are 20,000 KRW for A seats and 10,000 KRW for B seats.
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