Boseong-gun, Establishment of County Municipal Gugak Orchestra

9 Members Selected Through Public Application and Audition

Beoseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, the hometown of Seopyeonje, announced on the 3rd that it held the founding ceremony of the Beoseong-gun Municipal Gugak Orchestra.

To achieve a new leap for Beoseong Sori, Beoseong-gun has been promoting the establishment of the Beoseong-gun Municipal Gugak Orchestra since 2022, and finally selected nine members through open applications and auditions.

[Photo by Boseong-gun]

The new director of the Municipal Gugak Orchestra is Master Park Chunmaeng. Master Park studied under renowned masters such as Jo Sanghyun, Seong Woo-hyang, and Oh Jeongsuk, and is a designated holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 5, Pansori Simcheongga. He began his career as a member of the National Changgeuk Company in 1983 and has served as the lead musician of the Gwangju Municipal Changgeuk Company and the lead member of the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra.

Additionally, Master Han Jeongha, who has devoted over 50 years to sound and has been dedicated to nurturing successors in the region, was appointed as an honorary member.

The Beoseong-gun Municipal Gugak Orchestra plans to hold at least one regular performance annually through weekly rehearsals, participate in the Saturday regular performances promoted at the Pansori Sacred Site, and appear in various gugak programs. They will also perform at invited concerts and events, serving as ambassadors to promote Beoseong Sori.

Director Park Chunmaeng said, “The Beoseong-gun Municipal Gugak Orchestra will work hard not only to improve the skills of its members with relentless passion for creation but also to produce high-quality performances and to inherit and develop Beoseong Sori. We are preparing various performances such as fusion gugak and traditional gugak for the side events at the upcoming Beoseong Integrated Festival in April, contributing to the expansion of the local cultural arts base.”

Kim Cheol-woo, the governor of Beoseong-gun, stated, “We will spare no continuous support for the development of local arts so that Beoseong Sori becomes the sound of the world and blossoms as a culture and art of harmony and coexistence.” He also asked for “unwavering support and love for the Beoseong-gun Municipal Gugak Orchestra.”

Beoseong = Park Cheonseok, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy hss79@asiae.co.kr