Chairman Kim Sunhyang of North Korean Graduate School's Poem 'Hwanggeum Jangmi' Resonates at My Hometown Masan's Song Concert

Born as a Beautiful Song Embroidering the Autumn Night

The poem "Hwanggeum Jangmi" (Golden Rose) by Kim Sunhyang, Chairperson of the Graduate School of North Korean Studies, resonated as a beautiful melody at the "16th Songs of My Hometown Masan" concert held at the 3.15 Art Center Small Theater.

Soprano Hye-won Jeong singing a poem by Director Sunhyang Kim, accompanied by pianist Byungha Jeon.

Hosted and organized by the Masan branch of the Korean Music Association, and sponsored by the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Foundation and Gyeongsangnam-do Province, this concert featured 10 original compositions by composers from or related to the Masan area under the theme "Singing Songs of My Longed-for Hometown."

On the afternoon of the 13th, the poem included in Kim Sunhyang Chairperson’s second poetic diary collection, "Hwanggeum Jangmi," was transformed into a beautiful song embellishing the autumn night through the hands of composer Kim Heewon, current chairman of the composition division of the Masan Music Association and recipient of the 28th Masan Arts Merit Award.

Beginning with "When the season of roses begins. From a boy I have never met. A gift came?an everlasting bouquet of golden roses," this poem reveals the poet’s paradox of loving an artificial rose made of gold foil paper and her heart that dreams of never withering, transcending the power of time.

Soprano Jung Hyewon, who sang the song "Hwanggeum Jangmi," graduated from the highest performance course at the Milan Verdi National Conservatory of Music, has played leading roles in operas such as "Rigoletto," "Lucia di Lammermoor," and "The Elixir of Love," and is currently lecturing at the Department of Music Education and graduate school at Gyeongnam National University. The piano was performed by pianist Jeon Byungha, a graduate of the Milan Verdi National Conservatory and currently the representative of Ieum Opera.

Meanwhile, the poetry collection "Hwanggeum Jangmi - Poetic Diary 2," published in 2021, calmly unfolds precious memories shared with people around the globe throughout Kim Sunhyang Chairperson’s long journey from childhood, studying abroad in the United States, to her time as an English literature professor.

It is also a work written in the form of a poetic diary, expressing the passion of days spent practicing warm sharing throughout society as Vice President of the Korean Red Cross, affection and longing for family and acquaintances, and simple everyday stories.