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 

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/ 

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) 

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  

Benefit concert for the Syrian Refugees [Nov 21 Sat 7:30 PM]

Our friends at Hwaum Boston Chamber Orchestra is giving the benefit concert for the Syrian refugees. This Saturday at 7:30 PM at the Korean Church of Boston, 32 Harvard Street, Brookline. The program will include Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Haydn’s Symphony No 44 (“Mourn”). The suggested donation of $20 will go toward the relief effort of the displaced Syrians. 

 

Broadway in Seoul - Musical [Nov 14, Sat. 7 PM]

Broadway-to-Bosotn Theater company (B2B) and the Korean Cultural Foundation are presenting the musical “Broadway In Seoul” featuring Ryan Hill, Hilary Mayer, Heather Lee, Shannon Ignatius. It will also feature tenor Jyoungwoun Choi and Gayageum-singer Sukkyeong Won. It will be at the ECC main chapel, Nov 14, Saturday 7 pm. The ticket is $20 and can be purchased at the door on the day of the event. Discounts may be available for students and seniors. Please inquire at info@koreancultureboston.org . 

News from our musician friends [Fall 2015]

Michael-Thomas Foumai, whose chamber piece Village Music was one of the highlights of our recent Gala Concert, had his orchestral piece performed by the prestigious American Composers Orchestra in their annual SONiC festival (Sound of a new century - Zankell Hall ) during its Grand Finale. The concert featured five pieces by American composers, all World premiers, and Dr. Foumai’s work, titled “The Spider Thread”- "recounted a rapturous and frantic dash for spiritual salvation—an orchestral high-wire climb, before the thread snaps.” according to the director of the concert.

Many of KACF friends would remember TeRra Han, the main performer (Gayageum and Dance) of our first Gala Concert in 2013. Ms Han has since played at prestigious stages around the world, in Paris, Tokyo, Beizing and Seoul, and most recently, last October, gave a full Sanjo concert at the Andrew Weill recital hall at the famed Carnegie Hall.

 

You may check out the review of the event by the local press in NYC here.

Also have a taste of the full(!) Sanjo — probably the same piece as given at the Carnegie Hall, as captured from a recent concert in Tokyo here:

KACF Gala Concert 2015 [Oct 17 Sat]

Click on the poster of the event below to visit the archive of the whole evening: 

To view the photos from the event, click on the image below:

Scenes from the first rehearsal of the pieces

Oyuwa - a concerto for 25-string Gayageum

Village Music by Michael-Thomas Foumai

Journey to the Beautiful Future - The Hwaum Boston Chamber's Fall Concert [10.3.2015 Sat 7:30 pm]

 

The Hwaum Boston Chamber's Fall Concert presents 'Journey to the Beautiful Future’ on October 3rd, Saturday - 7:30 PM @ Granoff Music Center, Tufts University.

 

The program includes the very popular Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Sibelius' Violin Concerto (Violin: Eunae Kim).  The ticket is $30 per person. Further inquiries, please contact  sooihnee@comcast.net

Here is the message from the president of the Hwaum Boston Chamber Orchestra:

Dearest Friends,
I’m so excited to welcome you all to what promises to be a memorable night.
As you may know, this year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence and the division between North and South Korea.
With hopes and wishes of being peacefully united once again, the Hwaum Boston Orchestra has been performing a series of concerts throughout the year called the “Peninsular of Korea 2015.” It began with the concert “We Overcome” with the talented and blind pianist Ms. Noh, followed by the “Peace Concert” with the Boston Korean Chorus. Tonight, we’ll be closing out our grand series with our concert “Journey to the Beautiful Future.”  

Summer Jazz Music!

*** Due to unexpected vocal cord ailment of the singer, the concert will feature the NEC guitarist Xiongguan Zhang in her place. We appreciate Xiongguan for accommodating the change at such a short notice! 

It is Summer!

We are co-sponsoring an Evening of Jazz music (“Summer - Peace - Jazz - Love”) on August 15th, Sat. (7 PM) at the Children’s Chapel of ECC, KCB.
The concert is free with a suggested donation of 10 $ and its program will include beautiful standards such as Embraceable You, But Not for Me, After You’ve gone and So in Love.

Vocalist Carrie Furniss hails from Chicago, Illinois. She completed her bachelor's degree in studio music and jazz at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. She is currently finishing the master's degree in jazz vocal performance at the New England Conservatory.

Kyumin Shim, a young jazz pianist of both sensitivity and swing, started out at the prestigious Seoul Institute of The Arts (SITA) in Korea on a scholarship as a prize winner in its Jazz Music Competition. Since 2009, he has studied at Berklee college of music on a scholarship. He moved on to New England Conservatory and obtained the Master of Music degree.  Over the years, his mentors/collaborators included Jazz luminaries such as Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Pérez, Ed Tomassi, Hal Crook, Dave Santoro, Alain Mallet, Fred Hersch, Jason Moran, Jerry Bergonzi and Ken Schaphorst. He is in demand both as a soloist and as pianist of various ensembles at festivals such as the Newport Jazz festival(10), Club Rex in Toronto, Montreal Jazz Festival(11’, 13’), and the Jazz Festival at Martha’s vineyard. In the Boston area, he performed at Wally’s jazz cafe, Regatta bar, Lily pad as well as at Smalls jazz club, Shapeshifter lab and Jazz Gallery in New York. 

Oasis Cafe : Rina Jo Trio [July - 11]

Oasis Cafe Music Night present Jazz and American Standards with Rina Jo Trio on July 11th. 7 PM at ECC.

Rina Jo Trio
RJT is a jazz trio consisting of three international Berklee musicians. Pianist, Rina, comes from South Korea and is accompanied by bassist, Marcelo, from Brazil as well as drummer, Kelvin, from Indonesia. Because of our diverse backgrounds and influences, our music becomes very unique and eclectic. In this set, we will be featuring vocalist, Catey Esler, from Chicago, who brings a captivating sultry yet sweet sound to the group. Together, we will be playing some standards and two of Rina’s own compositions, entitled "Heaven" and "Not Yet.” 
The set will also include beloved American standards such as “Bewitched”, “You are too beautiful” and “My Way” as well as jazz classics “So What” (Miles Davis) and Billie’s Bounce (Charlie Parker).

The set will include the following: 

1) Bewitched By Richard Rodgers/ arranged by Minjin Rina Jo
2) You are too beautiful by Rodgers/Hart
3) Just friend by Klemmer/Lewis
4) I remember Clifford by Benny Golson
5) My Way by Gilles Thibaud
6) So What by Miles Davis
7) Billies’e Bounce by Charlie Parker
8) Heaven, composed by Minjin Rina Jo

More Scenes from "Musical Ladies"