K-Classic News 김은정 기자 |

 

WHAT: Joint performance of Korean traditional, world, and fusion music

WHO:  Groups Namureyoung and Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

WHEN:  Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.

 

WHERE: The National Sylvan Theater located on the National Mall (Independence Ave. SW & 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20024) 

 

HOW:  Free admission; no registration required; general lawn seating only; face coverings, social distancing, and proof of vaccination required

 

The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) proudly presents Synergy: Namureyoung X Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble, a special joint outdoor concert featuring Korean traditional, world, and fusion music from two outstanding ensembles—Namureyoung from Korea and the New York-based Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble—taking place at the National Sylvan Theater located in the shadow of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on Sunday, October 31.

 

The program draws its title from the synergy of two different musical groups within the Korean performance tradition, each of which blend traditional inspiration with their own unique style and contemporary stage presentation. Situated on the National Mall, the performance also invites the local community to celebrate Washington, D.C.’s cultural diversity in a safe, outdoor setting while enjoying the full cathartic energy of Korean creative music.

 

Both featured groups will perform individually as well as in a combined format.

 

Namureyoung founder and director Namyoung Kim, a trained classical musician and performer of the Korean haegeum, a two-stringed instrument resembling an upright fiddle, combines the healing power of traditional instruments with meditation. Kim’s Tradirapy performance project, for example, invites the audience to reilluminate their routine daily life through a musical breath of fresh air, and the melodies of the Korean haegeum exhibit a harmonious beauty designed to create a sensuous space the necessary for such meditation.

Drawing inspiration from the global rise in Korean popular culture known as Hallyu, Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble will present music from their creative project Korean Fever: Returns. By incorporating different global traditions and instruments the project exudes a collective hope to enjoy a time of prosperity and growth once again. The group’s dynamic and energetic live music aims to both coexist with and communicate with the audiences about the wider world.

 

Participation is free and no registration is required, but proof of vaccination, face coverings, and safe social distancing are required.

 

 

Program

Cheongseonggok | Namureyoung

Pyeong-nong | Namureyoung

Running on the Grass | Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

Dynamite (Arrangement) | Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

Ryu | Namureyoung

The Slope of Andalusia | Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

Peaceful Mind | Namureyoung & Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

A Sinawee for Korean Fever (Arrangement) | Namureyoung & Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble

 

 

About Namureyoung

Namureyoung is a non-profit arts company based in Korea that focuses on presenting traditional Korean performing arts in unconventional, boundary-breaking ways, including multidisciplinary collaborations. The group’s mission is to make music an art form that is enjoyed by all through clear communication between performer and audience. Their project Regression: Back to the Roots was selected as a recipient by the Emerging Artist Project Fund in 2017 and was supported by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. In the group’s signature format, four musicians take turns performing one by one, highlighting iconic Korean sights and sounds: haegeum (vertical fiddle with two strings), gayageum (plucked zither with 12 strings), daegeum (large bamboo transverse flute), and jeong-ga vocals (the singing of traditional songs or classical sijo poetry).

 

Namureyoung | Musicians 

 

Haegeum | Namyoung Kim

Jeong-ga | Uisun Cho

Daegeum | Myeonggyu Park

Gayageum | Hyeontak Choo