Korean Cultural Center New York presents 2018 OPEN STAGE: SAMULNORI with performances across the Northeast celebrating its 40th anniversary

Highlights include performance by Duk Soo Kim, one of the founding members of samulnori

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Apr 06, 2018, 01:40 ET

NEW YORK, April 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, is proud to present 2018 OPEN STAGE: SAMULNORI, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the creation of one of the most popular Korean music genres performed on stage with over 10 performances throughout the year 2018, spanning across the Northeast US.

Since samulnori both as a genre and performance group was established in 1978, it has sparked a renaissance in Korea's music scene and gained worldwide acclaim. 2018 marks samulnori's 40th anniversary as a new genre of performance art.

Since 2011, KCCNY has held the annual OPEN STAGE public contest to provide a stage for selected talents to present their performances in New York. This year, a public contest was held to provide a platform for artists seeking to reinterpret, localize, and globalize samulnori inspired performances that exemplify the highest tier of traditional and contemporary works.

We celebrate the revival of samulnori in a world full of conflict, yet with a hopeful outlook for a world peace. Samulnori, above all, emphasizes a need for harmony. With its historical roots in Korean agrarian society where music and performance was used to create community, Korean folk music and dance became the philosophical glue that connected people to people, village to village, as well as humans to nature.

This sense of harmony is reflected in the sounds of samulnori. With many intricacies of the 4 key instruments, regional and historic differences, and variations in programs, each artist must master his/her own sound, and have respect for every other member of the group.

It is only when this merging of sounds, rhythms, and breath occur that the art of samulnori can reach its musical height. In parallel, with this concept of mutual respect and mindfulness of nature, we can nurture a culture of not just survival through harmony, but regeneration, revival, and resonance.

In 2018, a special performance by one of the founding members of samulnori, Duk Soo Kim, as well as NYU's team Rhythmic Impulse, show the range and breadth of the genre as well as its future.

For more information and full lineup, please visit www.koreanculture.org.

For press inquiries, contact Mickey Hyun
[email protected], 212-759-9550 (ext. 212)

SOURCE Korean Cultural Center New York