1000th Healing Concert for the Underprivileged... "May Music Change Their Lives"

Interview with Kang Tae-wook, CEO of Inobi
Music performances at facilities for the disabled, hospice wards, and nursing homes
Touring worldwide including the US and China
First offline concert in 2 years to be held on the 27th at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “For those excluded from cultural benefits, I want to convey the powerful force and emotion that music holds.”

Kang Taewook (51), CEO of the nonprofit organization Innobi, is busy preparing for an offline performance after a long time. Innobi, which carries out volunteer performances under the motto “Innovation Bridge,” will hold its first offline performance in over two years, halted due to COVID-19, on the 27th at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital.

Kang, who founded Innobi in New York in 2006, said he dreamed of a life of service for the public good, inspired by his physician father’s medical volunteer work during his childhood. He said, “I once aspired to be a doctor, but social service for the public good suited me better, so I changed my major in graduate school.” After graduating from New York University with a degree in chemistry, he gave up plans to enter medical school and instead attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, studying NGOs before engaging in social welfare activities.

While working as deputy secretary-general at the Queens YWCA in New York, a city where music flows through the streets, he realized that there were marginalized groups who had never properly enjoyed a performance due to physical, economic, and social difficulties. Kang said, “I developed a dream to gift music to these people.”

Inobi will hold its first offline performance in over two years since COVID-19 on the 27th at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital. Photo is the performance poster. Photo by Inobi

Innobi, established in this way, began its activities in November 2006 with its first performance at the New York Open Center for children with intellectual disabilities and their families. They directly visit places most in need of help such as facilities for the disabled, nursing homes, and hospice wards to hold various performances. They consistently hold about 100 performances annually in the U.S., 80 in Korea, and 10 in China, with a cumulative total exceeding 1,000 performances.

He explained, “Every time patients suffering in hospitals tell us that through these performances they were able to focus on the joy and delight music brings instead of pain, I feel the healing power of music.”

Innobi’s activities, which were mainly based in New York, have expanded domestically since Kang settled in Korea in 2017. Initially indifferent large hospitals soon began to request subsequent performances after seeing the enthusiastic responses from patients.

While actively engaged, Innobi faced a crisis as COVID-19 spread. Kang said, “The places where we mainly perform?hospitals, nursing homes, and facilities for the disabled?became the most closed-off places, so we had no choice but to pause for the first year.” He smiled and added, “But we soon adapted by filming performances and delivering the files, allowing us to present performances to more organizations.”

Kang emphasized, “Rather than expanding the organization or receiving more sponsorships, Innobi’s goal is to first reach out to those excluded from society and culture, share happiness, and build more bridges between marginalized groups and talent donors.”

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