8th Gwanjae Gugak Award Winner Professor Kim Il-ryun of Chung-Ang University

The Management Committee of the Gwanjae Gugak Award, under the Korean Gugak Society, announced on the 18th that the 8th Gwanjae Gugak Award ceremony was held on the 14th at Umyeondang, National Gugak Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and the award was presented to Professor Kim Il-ryun of the Department of Traditional Arts at Chung-Ang University.

Professor Kim Il-ryun of the Department of Traditional Arts at Chung-Ang University, recipient of the 8th Gwanjae Gugak Award.
[Photo provided by the National Gugak Center]

Professor Kim has served as the Dean of the Graduate School of Gugak Education, a professor at the Graduate School of Traditional Culture and Arts at Sookmyung Women's University, the leader of the Sookmyung Gayageum Ensemble, and a member of the National Gugak Center and the Seoul Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra.

Currently, Professor Kim is serving as a director of the Asia Geum Association and the Korean Gayageum Players Association, vice president of the Hwang Byung-ki Works Preservation Society, representative of the Chung-Ang Gayageum Ensemble, and artistic director of the Chung-Ang Gayastra.

Professor Kim expressed his award acceptance remarks, saying, "As a Gayageum performer and educator, I believe the efforts I have devoted have culminated in the meaningful Gwanjae Gugak Award. This inspires me to continue without losing my original intention and to strive toward a higher artistic world. Though my contribution may be small, I will walk the path to contribute to the development of Gugak."

The Gwanjae Gugak Award is funded by a private endowment from the late Gugak musician Gwanjae Seong Gyeong-rin and is awarded to Gugak artists who have made significant contributions to the preservation, transmission, and dissemination of national music. It has been awarded every 2 to 4 years since 2001, with a prize of 10 million won.