Scenes from recent KACF Spring Concert "Blessed Lament"

'Blessed Lament' - an evening of talks and original music on the Korean Han [April 26 Sat 7:30 PM]

This coming Saturday on April 26, Korean American Cultural Foundation presents “Blessed Lament : Talks and Original Music inspired by Korean Han (Bitter Sorrow)"

 

Suggested donation 10$ at the door; Students/Seniors free. For reservation, contact KACF at info@koreancultureboston.org. Light snack and drinks provided during intermission.

The program features original music composed by Jae Hyeok Jang accompanied by his lecture and include the following:
Lecture about Han and My Music (Jae Hyeok Jang, composer)"Heavenly Peace"  for flute and piano“Longing I, II” for soprano and piano"Bird, Bird Bluebird” for violin solo"Nocturne for a Whispering Violin”, violin“Echo” for voice and piano"Blessed Lament”  for flute, violin and piano. The last piece was commissioned by KACF. 

Performers are Jae Hyeok Jang (composer & piano)Jin Wook Park (violin) - Hwaum Boston Chamber Orchestra, conductorYoumi Cho (soprano)Jisun Oh (flute)Yoengsin Kim (mezzo), Eunae Koh (violin) and Eun Hee Seok (piano).

According to the composer:

The sentiment of “han” is precious to Koreans. Han contains love and pain, joy and sorrow, and longing; there is spirituality in han. I believe that the sentiment of han can be sublimated into a life of hope, beyond the lament. If han lets one meet God and come to know His providence and guidance, then it is a blessing. To know God’s providence means that a life of pain and despair changes into a life of blessing and hope. This is what I understand to be the sentiment of han. I am pleased to be able to introduce han as a blessing through my music at this concert. Various ensembles will portray the sentiments of violent anger, understanding and acknowledgement, longing and hope, and blessing. As a contemporary classical composer and a church musician, I am happy to share the sentiment of han with the audience and to teach about traditional Korean music such as shijo-chang.

Dr. Jae Hyeok Jang is a Korean-born composer who has deep roots in the eastern culture and composes music in the spirit and image of Korea. He uses the Korean emotions, based particularly on han or “bitter sorrow”. He continually explores ways to express han in various musical contexts and styles using contemporary musical vocabularies.Jang studied composition at Keimyung University (B.A.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.), and Boston University (D.M.A.), and has finished master’s program in conducting at Boston University. He studied composition with Lukas Foss, Samuel Headrick, Marjorie Merryman, Nils Viegeland, and Aaron Jay Kernis; and studied at Mozarteum Summer Academy, IRCAM, Conservatoire Americain Fontainebleau, and Acanthes Avignon Music Festival with Helmut Lachenmann, Sofia Gubaidulina, Kaaja Saariaho, Marco Stroppa, and Samuel Adler. Jang has written commissioned works for Boston University Tanglewood Music Institute, Da-ism International Contemporary Music Festival, Boston Korean-American Cultural Foundation and Parkway Concert Orchestra. His music has been performed in Europe, Asia, and America including CMS (College Music Society) conferences. His music was premiered on Korean Broadcasting Systems (KBS), and he received the Best Contemporary Piece for Performance Award at Conservatoire Americain Fontainebleau in France. Most recently, he gave a lecture about Sijo-chang and his compositions at Contemporary Composition Conference at Trinity College in Dublin Ireland.Jang studied both orchestral and choral conducting, has conducted Moody Oratorio Chorus & Chamber Orchestra, Romania Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra, Fontainebleau String Ensemble and New England Korean Church Festival Choir & Orchestra, and directed Exeter Symphonia Orchestra, Choir at Korean Presbyterian Church in Greater Boston, Boston Korean Chorus and Chicago Little OL Korea Arts Foundation. Jang taught at Boston University and Phillips Exeter Academy, and currently teaches at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as an assistant professor and the coordinator of composition program.