Gwangju Seo-gu to Host 'May Thursday Gugak' at Bitgoeul Gugak Training Center

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 7th that it will hold the ‘May Thursday Gugak’ event, a family-friendly traditional Korean music performance, at the Bitgoeul Gugak Training Center on the 9th and 23rd in celebration of Family Month.

Gayageum Blooms.
Photo by Seogu

On the 9th, the performance titled ‘Simcheongga through Illustrations’ will feature Lee Eunsook, representative of Taeun Art Company and Art Project Namukkot, and Im Hyunbin, head percussionist of the Namwon City Gugak Orchestra.

This performance will present the key scenes of Simcheongga, a traditional Korean pansori, focusing on themes of birth, death, reincarnation, and reunion.

The combination of illustrations unfolding like a giant picture book and the traditional Simcheongga performance will offer a unique experience that captivates audiences from children to parents alike.

Notably, master singer Lee Eunsook has diligently honed her skills under the tutelage of master singer Seong Changsoon (holder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage for Pansori) for Chunhyangga, and her mother, master singer Lee Imrye (holder of Gwangju Metropolitan City Intangible Cultural Heritage for Pansori Gangsanje Simcheongga), for Simcheongga.

She has also won the grand prize (Presidential Award) in the master singer category at the 2022 Seopyeonje Boseong Sori Festival and the 2023 Korea Namdo Folk Song Contest.

On the 23rd, the K-music creator group ‘Gayageum Piona,’ known for their diverse and innovative musical attempts with the traditional Korean instrument gayageum, will perform.

Under the theme ‘Evening with Gayageum,’ the performance will feature gayageum trio renditions of popular soundtracks such as the movie OST ‘Moon River,’ animation OSTs from ‘Frozen 1 & 2,’ ‘Aladdin,’ and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle,’ as well as drama OSTs from ‘Hospital Playlist’ and ‘Reply 1988,’ offering an accessible and emotional gugak experience for all audiences.

The performances are free to attend, and each show will be live-streamed on the Bitgoeul Gugak Training Center’s YouTube channel.

For more information, please contact the Bitgoeul Gugak Training Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

Reporter Dongho Shin, Honam Coverage Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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