Scenes from Korean Cultural Festival Boston 2018

Announcing Korean Cultural Festival Boston 2018

The Same River, Twice - Sound of Korea in Flux [9-30-Sunday 5 PM]

KACF is co-sponsoring a Sunday afternoon concert with our friends at ECC. The concert will feature the group “Saawee”, an eclectic trio of musicians with firm background in Korean musical tradition but equally versed in experimental and improvisational collaboration. Special guest Do Yeon Kim, the Gayageum virtuoso, will also join.

Earlier this year, NYTimes gathered five young immigrant artists as panelists for a forum titled "Immigrant Artists and the American Dream”. This is what Sita, who is to play violin in the concert, as one of the panelists had to say:

“What people don’t always recognize is that we are all benefiting from the rich cultural diversity. Behind every culture is the influence of our neighboring cultures and on a broader spectrum every culture commonly carries the most humanistic side of us. As a musician, it is my duty to invite all musicians to come together and create art that’s ground-building and celebrates culture. Because, when all else collides, music unites. Instruments, for example, reflect that. String and percussion instruments show that human side of us: our common thread and our heartbeat.” 

The title (and the theme) of the concert derives from Greek philosopher Heraclitus: "No man ever steps in the same river twice". While K-Pop is getting ever popular in the global stage, it is just a thriving branch that grew on the fertile bed of Korea’s musical tradition which is deeper, wider, and ever-changing. The musicians/performers featured in this concert have their musical ancestry going back centuries, yet they are ever stepping on new paths through experiments and collaboration with musicians from different cultures and genres. The river flows and artists evolve. We invite the audience to join and cheer for their quest.

More about the Performers: 

 

Do Yeon Kim’s first album, GaPi, made with pianist Chase Morrin, was recently the finalist for a Korean Music Award, the Korea’s Grammy. She was also selected as an 2018 Emerging Artist by the St. Botolph Club Foundation. 

Violinist Sita Chay is the first and only Korean artist to ever win the Latin Grammy. Because of Sita’s unique ability to improvise and absorb different cultural music she has been in demand for versatile world music scenes including Afro-Caribbean music, Korean folk music, Bulgarian dance music, Flamenco and Indian raga. Most of her performances and compositions involve improvisational aspects and a combination of old and new techniques from both western and eastern music. 
Percussionist and Performance artist Jihye Kim has BA and first MA in Korean traditional percussion at Korean National University of Arts and MA in ethnomusicology from University of London, UK. She was awarded the Grand Prize at the KBS Korean Traditional Music Award as a member of “Ensemble Sinawi” group in 2012. She is currently a member of the London-based band “Urban Sound” and the group “Saawee”. 
Percussionist and Dancer Insoo Park has a PHD in literature from Korea University, MS in Korean traditional mask dance from the Korea National Academy of Arts, as well as being the Bongsan Mask Dancer (Korean national intangible cultural Asset No. 17). He collaborated with the world renowned percussionist Duksoo Kim as a mask dance soloist. He has also led the creative mask dance company, Dodam Dodam incorporating traditional dance language and contemporary philosophy into the artistic mix.

Free admission. Snacks and beverages will be served after the concert for conversing among the artists and guests. 

9.30. (Sunday) 5 PM. 

ECC chapel, 32 Harvard Street, Brookline. 

Piano Trio of Forte NY chamber music night!

KACF is sponsoring the “Piano Trio of Forte New York” featuring Vicky HyunJin Lee (violin), Yu Mi Bae (cello) and  Hyojin Rhim (piano) as part of the community concert series "Oasis Cafe Presents". The concert is on Sunday, April. 22, 2018, 5:30 p.m. at the ECC Main Chapel of KCB, 32 Harvard Street in Brookline. The program will include exciting pieces from the classical and the modern era such as the “Ghost” trio by Beethoven (op. 70 No. 1), Cafe Music by Schoenfield, solo pieces by Brahms and Walton. 

Please join us for an afternoon of exciting chamber music and free refreshments. For more info, check out https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-community-concert-an-oasis-cafe-presentation-tickets-44776532815 

After the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Healing the Deepest Fracture…

It is not often that we get to see a top notch writer of Korean heritage writing about Korea in New Yorker. On the heel of the successfully ended, and politically loaded Winter Olympic Games 2018, here is a personal glimpse of hope for the two Koreas by the best-selling author of Pachinko and National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee. 

"After the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Healing the Deepest Fracture…"

KACF sponsors Festivities for the Lunar New Year Celebrations at the Boston Children's Museum

KACF in a partnership with Korean Paper Art Group (Mija Yun, dir.) and the Boston Children’s Museum, sponsors the fun during the museum’s Lunar New Year Celebration. Our staffs were there to demonstrate Korean traditional games and capture the fun for children and parents alike. 

For more info, visit the museum’s web page about the event. 

 

 

Congratulations to GaPi on their nomination for The Korean Popular Music Awards!

Congratulations to Do Yeon Kim and Chase Morrin, who have performed in KACF concerts since 2017. The duo performs under the name GaPi which derives from Ga(yaguem) and Pi(ano) of which Do Yeon and Chase are young masters. The groups first album that was produced in Korea through the prestigious CJ Culture Foundation’s support, has recently been nominated as the best album in the Jazz/Crossover category for the Korean Popular Music Awards (the Korean equiv. to the Grammys according to the media). The album contains several pieces that were introduced to KACF audience during the Elegy for the Fallen (2017) and Spring Awakening (2018) concerts. Here are videos that captured the exciting performance at the time:

 

Meeting of Gayageum and Improvisatory Piano flowers in Korea

Chase Morrin (Harvard/NEC and Berklee) and Do Yeon Kim (Seoul National University/NEC) have performed for KACF concerts last year and earlier this year with enthusiastic response from the Boston area audience. This Summer, they crossed the Pacific ocean to do the same for the Korean audience. Read Do Yeon’s interview with the official blog of the CJ Cultural Foundation at the following link:

http://naver.me/x2impK7K 

Friendly announcement for All Together Now, a multimedia event [May 27, 9 PM - Lily Pad, Cambridge]

Our friend organization, All Together Now, has confirmed its 5th installment (ATN #5) of multimedia events on Saturday, May 27 at 9pm at the Lily Pad in Cambridge! ATN is a multidisciplinary event series that makes space for women, people of color, and LGBT performers in partnership with allies; and combines performances from Boston and NYC in Boston to enhance the artistic dialogue and help artists build connections. This time, the show features a Boston-based Korean artist Poor Eliza (Jane Park) as part of the act.

more details =====

ATN #5 will be an engaging mix of music, magic, video, and performance art! Artists for ATN #5 include Jenee Halstead and Mark Lipman a performance duo of music, storytelling, and expressive movement; Zayde Buti, video and performance artist; street magician Just Felice; and emotive, rock band Poor Eliza (Jane Park). Tickets and more information about the artists can be found at alltogertherbos.com.

One major goal for this event series is to compensate artists for their work. Says Artistic Director Anna Rae, “Our society consistently devalues and underpays artists, while simultaneously relying on artists for meaning, reflection, entertainment, insight, comfort, and rich ideological and experiential spaces.” This year ATN was awarded the Live Arts Boston Grant from the Boston Foundation, which plays a critical role in “being able to support artists in creating and presenting their work.”

All Together Now, installments 6, 7, and 8 will be presented in the fall.

Mark Lipman and Jenee Halstead have been sharing the stage for years as singing partners on each other's original music. The idea of collaborating on a project together had been floating around for a couple of years, and they're bringing it to life in a set that will combine story-telling, song, and elements of expressive movement. Together they are exploring the worlds of activism, desire, queer identity, the wounded healer and what it means to be an artists and a human in a world that want to commodify and control the human experience.

Zayde Buti is a performance artist and musician who writes, produces and performs weird art music. He also produces and performs in even weirder music videos. Zayde has performed live in venues across New England and has made street performances throughout the Boston area. 

Felice Ling: if she looks familiar, you might have seen her working on the streets of Harvard Square. Occasionally funny, often awkward, and always astonishing, she has performed in Memphis, Chicago, and Cambridge. Before she was a street performer, though, she was a magician performing in her family living room nearly every Thanksgiving for fifteen years. She's not flashy, she's not snazzy - she's Just Felice.

Poor Eliza (Jane Park) is a Boston songwriter who loves to explore themes from her Tennessee upbringing with the sounds and rhythms of alt-country and indie-rock. She has played all over the Boston area, and is excited to try new things and meet more artists! Her latest self-released title “Ghost Town” is the tale of a townie who never leaves their hometown.

Congratulations to the composer Michael-Thomas Foumai

Congratulations to MT Foumai whose Korean-folk music inspired piece Village Music had been premiered in Boston in our Gala concert of 2015.

The following is an excerpt taken from the University of Hawaii's News article: 

Michael-Thomas Foumai, a lecturer in the University of Hawaii Manoa Department of Music, has won a 2017 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation (ASCAP) young composer award that encourages talented young creators of concert music. Foumai's award-winning 25-minute long composition—featuring a flute, cello and piano—is titled Manookian Murals.It was first performed in December 2016 by the Dolce Suono Ensemble in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Past winners of the Morton Gould Young Composer Award, the country’s most prestigious and visible award for young composers from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), include Pulitzer-Prize winning composers Jennifer Higdon, Aaron Jay Kernis and Kevin Puts.

"Manookian’s work had an immediate impact that touched upon all my senses," said Foumai. "One could see, hear and nearly smell and taste the ancient Hawaiʻi that he envisioned."
For more information on Foumai and "Manookian Murals,” and to hear a snippet of the composition, visit the “Manookian Murals” website.
"We are so proud of Michael being one of the recipients of this prestigious award," said Lawrence Paxton, chair of the Department of Music. "He highlights the vitality of our faculty and the uniqueness of our nationally respected Music Department and its innovative programs."
Added ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, "Nurturing young talent is an essential part of The ASCAP Foundation’s mission. We congratulate these gifted young composters ranging in age from 15 to 30 and thank our dedicated panel of ASCAP members who selected composers from approximately 550 submissions."

http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2017/04/06/foumai-young-composers-award/ 

East Coast premiere of the Korean film THE WORLD OF US

Belmont World Film will screen the East Coast premiere of the Korean film THE WORLD OF US as part of the 14th Annual Family Festival on Saturday, January 14, at 3:15 PM at the Studio Cinema in Belmont, MA.

According to the organizer of the Festival, it is one of the most beautiful films ever about childhood friendship and not to be missed!

THE WORLD OF US
Saturday, January 14, 3:15 PM
Studio Cinema, 376 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA
Directed by Ga-eun Yoon
South Korea | 2016 | 95 min. | Korean with subtitles | Age 8+ ($9)

Sun, a 10 year-old girl from a poor family, is an outcast at school. During summer vacation she meets wealthy Jia, who moves to town to live with her grandmother because her parents are too busy to care for her. The two become best friends, but when school starts, Jia starts to hang out with the cool girls and distances herself from Sun. The two girls eventually realize they have more in common than they think. A rare vivid and delicate portrayal of the life of children. 

Tickets: $9. Purchase in advance at http://www.ticketor.com/belmontworldfilm/event/the-world-of-us-24366?treferrer=SJK

For more information visit www.belmontworldfilm.org or call 617-484-3980.

Not so heavy a Christmas - Oasis Cafe [12.17.2016 7:30 PM ECC]

The program will include 

The Graceful Ghost Rag for Violin and Piano by William Bolcom

Two piano pieces by Erik Satie,

Café Music (1987) for piano trio by Paul Schoenfield

Selections from the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio (1973) by Claude Bolling

and also pieces from the ever popular A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi !

Oasis Cafe & B2B present "Musically Yours on Broadway" [11.5 Sat 7:30 PM]

This Saturday, KACF sponsors our friends at KCB and The Broadway to Boston Theater Company for 

“Musically Yours on Broadway - a Musical Talk Show” 

at 7:30 p.m. in the Children’s Chapel at the Education & Community Center. 

 

In this hilarious musical performance, Hilary Mayer, Ohkyung Kwon, Hugh Cha, and Izzy Taylor (some familiar from earlier Oasis - B2B collaborations) appear as guests in a talk show hosted by Heather Lee.  Guests share and discuss their recent performances and the actor's life as they perform popular musical numbers. This performance also features talented classical musicians Clera Ryu (piano), Soyoung Kwon (Violin), Yumi Bae (Cello), as well as Jihyung Hong (Drum). 

Concert 휴 [hju:] in Boston [9.18.2016 7 PM]

KACF, in collaboration with soprano Yu-Ra Lee based in Korea, is presenting Concert 휴 [hju:] in Boston.  휴 means rest, respite or repose in Korean language, and the concept behind the program is to gather classically trained musicians to perform pieces from various genres, offering a respite from hectic daily lives, both for the audience and the performers. The Sunday afternoon in Boston is usually full of concerts and other interesting events, but where else could one have musical numbers from Jekyll and Hyde and The Phantom of the Opera; a love song from wildly popular K-Drama, a Verdi aria for  Mrs. Macbeth(!) as well as Piazzolla's Libertango and the theme from Howl's moving castle, all in one sitting? Mark your (and your children's) calendar! (9.18.2016 7pm, 32 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA) 

"All Together Now" [Lilypad, Cambridge - 6.25. 9 PM]

If you are interested in finding what contemporary artists of Korean descent are up to, here is your chance this month. 

According to the organizer of the show, "All Together Now" is a multimedia event bringing together artists from NYC and Boston, and making space for women, people of color, and LGBTQ in collaboration with allies. 

In the upcoming show at Boston (Lilypad, Cambridge - 6.25. 9 PM), it will feature three talented artists of Korean-American heritage: Hye Yun Park is a writer, actor, film producer, and comedian living in Brooklyn, NYC. Diana Oh is a musician, actor, and performance artist living in Brooklyn, NYC. Jane Park is a musician living in Boston, MA. For more details about the performers, check out their profiles. Tickets available through the FB page at  https://www.facebook.com/events/277260275942002/

Elegy for the Fallen, Light beyond Abyss [4.30.2016 Sat 7PM - St. Paul's Church]

A gentle reminder about our upcoming concert. It will be at the beautiful space at the St. Paul's church of Brookline, just a block away in the neighborhood. Check out the amazing performers lined up:

This is a paid concert; tickets are available online here. To find more about the concert, please check out its FB event page.

Jihye Lee Orchestra being released soon!

A while ago, KACF and some of us became sponsors of Jihye Lee’s kickstarter project. The project was successfully funded, and after months of hard work, she is about to release her first album. (and probably first ever of its kind by a Korean female jazz artist?) You may check out a tune from the CD at youtube. (the track is titled Sewol marking the 2nd year anniversary of the tragic incident that claimed hundreds of innocent teenagers as well as teachers.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WIT1vVByZk

Voice of Harmony [May 14 Sat 7:30 PM at KCB]

This is in from our friends at KCB: 

On Saturday May 14, the Korean Church of Boston will be hosting a “Voice of Harmony Concert” to benefit our sister church in need.  Previously, thanks to your help, we have been able to successfully sponsor “a benefit concert for Syrian Refugees” and “a benefit for North Korean refugees” to contribute to their aid.  We hope that this benefit concert will also be used to support our neighbors.

The concert program includes classical and jazz works by Mozart, Piazzola, Gershwin, and Strauss, spanning diverse genres for the enjoyment of many.

In addition, the impressive lineup of performers includes winners of several national and international competitions, and those actively involved in various areas of music. We look forward to their demonstration of the depth and beauty of their artistic mastery.

The first half of the concert will showcase the crossover from classical pieces such as Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante to semi-classical pieces such as Gershwin’s Summer Time.  The second half will demonstrate the beauty of jazz in Piazzola’s masterpiece the “Four Season of Buenos Aires” as well as other music performed by a piano trio an a jazz ensemble.

You may purchase the ticket on-line at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voices-of-harmony-concert-tickets-24551621561  

News from our friends - Spring 2016

Seungho Jang (bass) is graduating from Berklee with a Master’s degree this summer, but before that he had some business to finish. One of them was to play as a member of the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors group in the Bimhuis Amsterdam, winning the first prize! Also shown in the photo is the drummer Noam Israeli (far right) who played in Seungho Jang Quintet last Summer. Congratulations. How do you cash a big check like that?

Seungho was earlier this year captured on the stage with the legendary saxophonist Joe Lovano. Sweet.

Terra Han, the gayageum player who headlined the Korean Cultural Festival in 2013 is busy in Korea and in the US. Recently she sent a news of giving a seminar in KAIST, the Korean Advanced Institute of Technology. She also performed several versions of Gayageum.