Lee Sang-won, Daegum Player, Appointed Artistic Director of the National Gugak Center Jeongakdan

by Park Pyunghee

Published 04 Jan.2021 13:57(KST)

Sangwon Lee, Artistic Director of the Jeongakdan at the National Gugak Center [Photo by National Gugak Center]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Lee Sang-won, a daegeum player, has been appointed as the artistic director of the National Gugak Center's Jeongakdan. The new artistic director's term is two years, from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022.

New artistic director Lee Sang-won graduated from the National Gugak High School, earned a bachelor's degree in Gugak from Seoul National University, a master's degree in Gugak from Hanyang University, and a Ph.D. in Musicology from the same university's graduate school. From 1991 to 2020, he served in key positions such as principal player, leading member, and concertmaster in the National Gugak Center's Jeongakdan for 30 years. Lee Sang-won has played a central role in Jeongakdan, continuously working for the development of Jeongak, including mastering Jongmyo Jeryeak, the first national intangible cultural asset.

In particular, he played a pivotal role in restoring court ritual music performances such as Taepyeong Seogok, Sejongjo Hoerye-yeon, and Emperor Gojong's Daerye-yeon, which are representative performances of Jeongakdan, expanding the realm of traditional ritual music. He also received positive evaluations through various creative attempts to inherit traditional music, such as organizing and directing performances like deep listening to Jeongak, Jeongga, and ritual music to make Jeongak more accessible to the general public.

Based on his 30 years of diverse performance experience with the National Gugak Center's Jeongakdan, Artistic Director Lee Sang-won planned a documentary-style performance with a humanities approach titled 'Akakgyebeom Speaks.' He structured it to be expanded into seminars and broadcast content, expressing his ambition to demonstrate the power of Jeongak to the public through various formats.