The 24th Seopyeonje Boseong Sori Festival Opens on the 30th

September 30 to October 2, 3-Day Festival of Exciting Sounds Held

[Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok] The "24th Seopyeonje Boseong Sori Festival" will open on the 30th in Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, the hometown of Seopyeonje.

This festival will be held for three days from September 30 to October 2, and unlike in 2021 when it was held as a no-audience competition due to the COVID-19 situation, it will be conducted as a competition with audience participation.

It will feature elegant performances that allow you to experience the essence of Korea's finest traditional pansori, along with various hands-on events, specialty product sales, and promotional booths that people of all ages can enjoy.

On September 30 at 2 p.m., a memorial ceremony honoring the master singers who carried on the legacy of Boseong Sori and trained disciples will begin at the Pansori Sacred Site located in Hoecheon-myeon, followed by memorial performances and performances of national intangible cultural heritage.

On October 1 at 9 a.m., the commemorative ceremony will feature performances by the fusion gugak group "Queen" and Park Seong-woo, a former contestant of Joseon Panstar. That evening, a master and virtuoso competition will take place where pansori singers and gobeop masters will compete with each other’s sounds.

For local residents and tourists who cannot visit the event site, a total of eight gugak busking performances will be held around Boseong Station and Beolgyo Station during the festival period.

The competition is divided into pansori and gobeop categories and will be held in divisions including master singer and master drummer, university and general division, rookie division, student division, and comprehensive student division, proceeding through preliminary and final rounds. The pansori final for the master singer division will be broadcast on Gongyeong TV in October.

Meanwhile, Boseong-gun has been a cradle of pansori master singers, producing many renowned masters such as Park Yoo-jeon, the progenitor of Seopyeonje, Jeong Eung-min who established Boseong Sori, Jeong Gwon-jin, Seong Woo-hyang, Jo Sang-hyun, and Seong Chang-soon. It has played a pivotal role in the development of Korean traditional music in South Korea. To inherit and develop this legacy, the Seopyeonje Boseong Sori Festival is held annually to discover talent through national competitions and to keep the tradition of pansori alive.

Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok hss79@asiae.co.kr

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