'All Seats Open for the First Time in 3 Years' National Theater to Host Yeowoorak Music Festival Next Month

Presenting 12 Performances Over 23 Days with Keywords Expansion, Amplification, and Expansion

2022 Yeowoorak Festival Press Conference. Photo by National Theater

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "This stage was a dream stage for me, and it was a precious opportunity to meet frontline artists I want to emulate. (This festival) is expected to bring a joyful summer to audiences who have experienced COVID-19."

The National Theater will hold the '2022 Yeowoorak Festival' from July 1 to 23 at the Daloreum Theater, Haneul Theater, and Cultural Square in Jung-gu, Seoul. Creative Director Park Woojae shared his expectations and thoughts about this festival at a press conference on the 8th.

Yeowoorak, the National Theater's representative summer music festival, is an abbreviation of 'Here, Our Music (樂) Exists,' planned to showcase Korean music that contemporary audiences can relate to. Park Woojae, a geomungo player as well as a composer and music director, has served as the creative director for the second consecutive year.

This year's Yeowoorak focuses on presenting new stages by key figures who have led the expansion of Korean music since the 2000s as both performers and creators. These include Park Woojae, a member of the Korean music ensemble Baramgot; Im Yongju of the world music group Gongmyeong, who has promoted Korean music domestically and internationally since the 1990s; haegeum player Cheon Jiyoon, active in the creative gugak group Bibing; Lee Ilwoo, the piri and guitar player of the band Jambinai, which first gained acclaim overseas; and daegeum player Cha Seungmin, leader of the music group Siro, each revealing their unique musical colors without reservation.

The opening work is 'GROUND' by MUTO, a media art project group including Park Woojae, where five collaborators will present pure Korean sounds alongside overwhelming soundscapes and intense visual art.

2021 Yeowoorak Festival_Two Eyes performance scene. Photo by National Theater

Haegeum player Cheon Jiyoon will reinterpret Kim Manjung's novel 'Guunmong' by fusing haegeum and electronic music together with singer-songwriter Sangheum. Lee Ilwoo (EERU) of the post-rock band Jambinai, which is based on traditional Korean worldview, will meet with the rock band PAKK to express the han (resentment) and ak (misfortune) of this era through powerful sounds.

Additionally, daegeum player and composer Cha Seungmin will collaborate on stage with food creative director Jang Jina. Their documentary video, discussing the natural strength and preciousness of things without artificiality, blends with Cha Seungmin’s music to offer a gentle conversation.

Stages that capture the heat of the summer festival will also be presented. The actively performing Seodo Band and geomungo player Park Daul will ignite the festival with free and dynamic music. 'Yeowoorak Extension,' gathering 16 Yeowoorak performers in one place, will conclude the festival with explosive energy from each team’s representative songs to joint performances.

'2022 Yeowoorak' will fully open all seats for the first time in three years, breaking away from the subdued atmosphere caused by COVID-19. On July 16, an outdoor performance by Gongmyeong and Idiotape at the Cultural Square will herald a hot midsummer night festival.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.