The summer offseason: A closed door and dark lobby signal tradition
In a refreshing departure from the usual quiet summer days at the concert halls, this season brings a burst of creativity that defies traditional genre boundaries. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has kicked off its fourth annual “Sync Next” festival, featuring 11 groundbreaking performances spanning techno, ambient, contemporary music, neosoul, and hip-hop. Opening the festival with “Lucid Paul, Jung Mari, and Bu Ji-hyun,” the audience was treated to a mesmerizing experience where they could choose to sit or lie on the floor while immersing themselves in vocalist Jung Mari’s traditional Korean melodies and other artists’ innovative performances.
Moreover, the National Theater of Korea is hosting the “Fox Rock Festival,” a summer music extravaganza that promises boundary-breaking performances. With a theme of “travel to folk songs,” the festival showcases a diverse array of Korean music styles with the participation of over 200 artists spread across 12 works at the Dal Oreum Theater and Sky Theater. Notable performances like singer In-soon and Seo Do-minyo singer Yoo Ji-sook’s collaboration on traditional folk songs under the theme of “The Wizard” captivated the audience with their unique interpretations and fusion of different music genres.
Closing the “Fox Rock Festival” with a bang on the 26th is the “Paldo Folk Song Daejeon” at the National Theater of Korea’s Sky Theater, featuring nine teams of young musicians presenting traditional sounds from eight provinces. Each team brings a fresh take on folk songs, infusing them with modern twists and interpretations that breathe new life into these age-old melodies.
In the realm of classical music, Seoul gears up for the 8th Hiketnungk, a groundbreaking music festival organized by Sejong Soloistz. Hiketnungk, meaning “Here and Now” in Latin, promises a modern twist on 21st-century classical music with performances that bridge the gap between technology, literature, and classical music. Featuring commissioned works and world premieres, the festival will showcase innovative pieces like “The Age of Chimera,” a seven-movement musical based on novelist Bernard Berber’s latest work, “The Land of Chimera,” with French narrator Berber adding a unique touch to the performance.
Discovering unconventional crossroads between literature and music, the festival also presents “T.S. Eliot & Beethoven – Philosophical Inquiry,” where Beethoven’s string quartet No. 132 accompanies readings of Eliot’s “The Four Quartets,” creating a harmonious blend of music and poetry. Finally, the “NFT Salon” at the Uncommon Gallery offers expert insights and performances on NFT art, bringing forth a unique dialogue on the intersection of music and technology in today’s digital age.
As Kang Kyung-won, the general director of Sejong Soloistz, aptly puts it, “We have been agonizing a lot to find our ow…”