Latest news with #NationalGugakCenter
Korea Herald
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Enjoy summer nights with traditional music at Umyeonsan Music Festival
The National Gugak Center is bringing traditional Korean music outdoors this summer with the 2025 Umyeonsan Music Festival, held every Saturday evening Aug. 23 through Sept. 20 at its outdoor Yeonhui Madang stage. A flagship seasonal event, the festival offers a romantic escape from urban life, filling summer nights with traditional Korean music and performances that bridge past and present. On Aug. 23, the festival opens with "A Tiger from Mudeungsan Is Here?," an original folk play by the Gwangju-based Traditional Yeonhui Play Research Institute (Jeontong Yeonhui Nori Yeonguso). Featuring audience participation, the production follows the comic misadventures of a tiger and his companion as they tumble into Umyeonsan. On Aug. 30, the National Gugak Center teams up with pansori singer Ko Yeong-yeol for selections from "Chunhyangga" and "Sinbaetnorae"; on Sept. 6, a vibrant "Yeonhui Pan" showcase of street folk arts, including lion dances, traditional circus acts and folk songs, takes the stage; and on Sept. 13, gugak artists Kim Mu-bin, Sori Maepsi and Yoon Se-yeon present experimental reinterpretations of folk classics. On Sept. 20, the festival concludes with the Seoul Gut, a shamanic ritual honoring community health and happiness. Before the concerts, starting at 4 p.m., the National Gugak Center's front plaza will host interactive activities, including a traditional knot-tying workshop, craft-making experiences, photo booths and food trucks.
Korea Herald
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Music to fill Gyeongbokgung for Gugak Week
In a sweeping celebration of sound and culture, the National Gugak Center is set to host the inaugural National Gugak Day on June 5, transforming the heart of the capital into a vibrant stage for Korea's traditional music. The newly established national commemoration aims to spotlight gugak's enduring relevance — bridging the traditional and the contemporary. The Gugak Week, a 10-day cultural festival running from June 5 to 15, will offer the public a rich array of performances, hands-on experiences, meditative programs and exhibitions. The date, June 5, was chosen to honor the historical roots of yeomin-rak (or music shared with the people in Korean), first recorded on this day during the reign of King Sejong (1397-1450). Reflecting that spirit of accessibility and inclusion, every event throughout Gugak Week will be free to the public. The festivities kick off at 4 p.m. on June 5 in Seoul's Gwanghwamun Plaza with the Yeominrak Grand Festival, a large-scale traditional parade and performance featuring folk troupes and citizens from across the country. That evening at 7:30 p.m., the National Gugak Center will stage "Yeonhui_Pan" — a special opening performance weaving together traditional and contemporary styles. Simultaneously, branches of the National Gugak Center in regional cities including Namwon, North Jeolla Province; Jindo, South Jeolla province; and Busan will host their own concerts, featuring local masters and community-based ensembles. The celebrations will continue with daily programming. At 4 p.m. each afternoon from June 6-8, the Gwanghwamun Plaza stage will feature diverse acts — from ritualistic Jindo ssitgimgut (a shamanic cleansing ceremony), to youth-led gugak performances and performances by genre-defying gugak bands. On June 7 and 8, a highlight of the week will unfold at Gyeongbokgung's Geunjeongjeon Hall, where more than 300 performers will reenact the royal banquet ceremony "Sejongjo Hoeryeyeon," meticulously reconstructed based on the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. The grandeur of the court ceremony promises a rare glimpse into the solemn elegance of traditional state rituals, said the NGC. From June 10-12, National Gugak Center will host a rotating lineup of 100 celebrated gugak artists and three national gugak orchestras, offering a panoramic view of the music's present and its future. Beyond the stage, NGC is also inviting the public to step into the world of gugak through a series of interactive experiences, taking place from June 5-8 at Gwanghwamun Plaza. For more details, visit the official website and social media channels of the National Gugak Center.
Korea Herald
28-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Gyeongbokgung nighttime tour tickets to go on sale
Online reservations for nighttime tours of Gyeongbokgung, the most recognized of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul, will start Wednesday for tours running May 8-June 15. Registration will open on Ticketlink on a first-come, first-served basis, with each person allowed to buy up to four tickets. For international tourists, tickets can be purchased on the day of the tour at Gwanghwamun, the main palace gate, upon showing an ID, such as a passport. Tours will run from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day except Mondays and Tuesdays, covering gates, halls, a pavilion and a garden on the palace grounds. Heungnyemun, Gyeongbokgung's second gate, can be thought of 'as the face of Joseon,' said an official at the Korea Heritage Service, the agency organizing the tours. 'The Japanese tore it down and built the Government-General Building there to block the view of Gyeongbokgung. Heungnyemun is a symbol of Koreans' desire to rediscover their national pride,' the official said about the gate's restoration in 2001. From May 21-24, musicians from the National Gugak Center will perform traditional Korean music with a focus on royal court music.
Korea Herald
28-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Serene evening stroll through royal palace: Gyeongbok Palace to offer nighttime tours
Nighttime tours of Gyeongbok Palace will begin next month, offering visitors a chance to experience the serene atmosphere of the historic site nestled in downtown Seoul, organizers said Monday. The Korea Heritage Service announced it will host its annual spring nighttime tours of the palace from May 8 to June 15, with visiting hours from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Every spring and autumn, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) opens its gates at night -- a rare occasion, as the palace is typically closed after dark. The program allows visitors to enjoy a peaceful stroll through the palace grounds, which are beautifully illuminated with special lighting that highlights the grandeur of the historic architecture under the moonlight. This year's spring event will also feature performances of traditional court music. Members of the National Gugak Center will perform pieces such as Yeominrak, Suryongeum, and Daechwita near the Sujeong Pavilion from May 21 to 24. All visitors, except foreigners, are required to make online reservations in advance. The nighttime tours will not be available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and on June 4, when the palace will be closed as an alternative holiday. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
National Gugak Center to recreate royal processional music with AI-generated lyrics
Court Music Orchestra uses AI to restore court music's lost lyrics A traditional music performance will recreate the pomp and circumstance of the processions of Joseon-era kings as they departed from and returned to their palaces. The National Gugak Center's Court Music Orchestra is set to stage a performance centered on haengak, or the music traditionally played during royal processions, as well as for governors and foreign envoys during the Joseon era (1392-1910). Titled 'Haengak and Boheoja: Steps of Heaven and Earth,' the performance will take place March 13-14 at the Yeakdang Hall of the National Gugak Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The royal processional music of Joseon followed a specific format: chulgungak, the music played when the king left the palace; haengak, the music performed during the procession; hwangungak, the music played upon his return; and yeollyeak, the banquet music performed after his arrival at the palace. The concert will open with "Yeominrakman" as chulgungak and close with "Yeominrakryeong" as hwangungak, both performed in their traditional arrangements. Lee Gun-hoy, artistic director of the Court Music Orchestra, said that during the procession, "Chwita" and "Daechwita" -- typically played on wind instruments by marching musicians -- will be performed with additional string instruments, such as the five-stringed hyangbipa and the pear-shaped wolgeum, to heighten the grandeur. Some dramatic narrative elements have been added as well. The performance will feature a circular stage design symbolizing a royal procession route, while a dancer portraying the king will provide a visual interpretation of the journey. Among the yeollyeak, the performance will feature "Boheoja," a piece deeply rooted in Taoist philosophy. The title translates to 'one who walks the void' and originates from the Taoist tradition in which sinseon, or celestial beings, pay homage to higher deities. The court song expresses wishes for the king's long life and the nation's prosperity. Notably, artificial intelligence was employed to reconstruct lost lyrics. The lyrics of the first two sections of Boheoja are still extant, but the third section has survived only as an instrumental piece. Park Jin-hyung, head of Art Platform YuYeon, led the team in rewriting the lyrics. He explained that OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta's AI model LLaMA were used to generate the new verses. The models were trained on 350 hansi poems, poems written in Chinese characters, by Crown Prince Hyomyeong, one of the most prolific hansi poets of the Joseon era, and cross-referenced with over 100 poems by scholars Jeong Yak-yong and Kim Jeong-hui. The newly composed lyrics will be performed by a choir of over 70 court singers in a grand finale. 'This will be a majestic and spectacular performance, with over 100 performers, including our musicians and singers, coming together,' said the artistic director. This is not the first time the National Gugak Center has turned to AI to reconstruct lost music. Last year, the center used artificial intelligence to restore two lost scores, Chihwapyeong and Chwipunghyeong, from "Bongnaeui," a work composed by King Sejong (1397-1450). 'We see this as an expansion of court music that aligns with the spirit of our time,' Lee said.
