Buddhist Ritual Song and Dance from Korea

October 21 - November 2, 2007

Harmonies as resonant and meditative as the religious devotion they represented filled American concert halls as the Young San Preservation Group, a company of Korean Buddhist monks that performs pŏmp’ae chants, embarked on its second cross-country tour organized by The Korea Society. Pŏmp'ae, literally "sacred chanting," is a Buddhist tradition of ritual chant that may be compared with Gregorian chant in the Western tradition of Christianity. It offers a rich milieu of complex vocal patterns and pure, heavy tones intended to induce ruminative calm and facilitate spiritual growth. Led by Venerable Dong Hee, the eight monks of the Young San Preservation Group began their five-city tour with a standing room-only performance at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco on October 21. The pŏmp’ae chants, accompanied by ritual dance, petition the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas for protection and wisdom. From San Francisco, the group continued on to their show at Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois on October 24 where, after the performance, they conducted a workshop to help their curious audience to a better understanding of the ancient tradition. On October 26, the group played at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Audiences grew more enthusiastic as the tour continued. Both the group’s performance at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio on October 30, and its final show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on November 2, received standing ovations.

The tour was a success for venues and audiences:

Hundreds of visitors, including VIP consulate guests, families, members of the Korean community and many others from all over the Bay Area experienced the ceremonial chants and dances of the Young San ceremony. For over two hours our guests—many of whom had to stand—listened and watched appreciatively as the Korean monks meticulously and gracefully performed the ceremony. The front door to the crowded hall was left open so that people could watch and listen from the loggia…When the program ended after a round of generous applause, it was very interesting to note that 98% of the audience lingered in their seats or in their standing positions, reluctant to give up the moment.

– Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

We had a very good turnout. We estimate between 500 and 600 people were in the audience. Many different kinds of people attended—students, faculty and administrators, of course, but also people of all ages and backgrounds from the northeast Ohio community…the Young San group was warmly received. Many people lingered at the end, in hopes of talking with the monks, and some people even came up on to the stage afterward. We were also impressed by the generosity of the group, giving their blessing to our College, individuals by name, the Korean student group, and the community. This was perhaps the highlight of the ceremony.

– Oberlin College

Traditional Korean music made a strong impression on American audiences when one of Korea’s most celebrated composers and performers, Hwang Byungki, took to the stage for an East Coast tour organized and supported by the Korea Foundation and The Korea Society.

Hwang, a composer and kayagŭm virtuoso who has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Paris’ Musee Guimet in the past, played a one hour and ten minute program of elegant classics, including “Sounds of the Night” and “Moon of My Hometown.” The program also included several of his contemporary compositions, which strike a singular balance between natural and abstract sounds. The New York Times has written that Hwang’s work “suggest[s] the musical equivalents of mystically inspired watercolors, [which] musically illustrate the concept of translucency with finely spun webs of sound created by extremely delicate strummings.” Hwang was accompanied by five of Korea’s most prominent musicians: Park Jaeho (taegŭm), Heo Yoonjeong (kŏmungo), Ji Aeri (kayagŭm), Kim Woongsik (changgu) and Kim Nari (vocals).    

Packed auditoriums were the rule during Hwang’s three-city tour, which began on May 30 at Boston’s Museum of Fine Art. The June 2 performance in New York, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, drew an audience of 500. The June 5 performance at the Smithsonian’s Meyer Auditorium in Washington, D.C. drew a full house. Dozens of fans who had arrived with the hopes of buying tickets at the door had to leave disappointed.

The crowds were as enthusiastic as they were large. Each performance received standing ovations. If the tour had a low note, it was that it wasn’t longer. But American aficionados of Korean culture weren’t left completely adrift by Hwang’s departure. His last show, played at the Smithsonian’s Baird Auditorium on June 7, was part of a special event to celebrate the opening of the new Korea Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History.

The Korea Society, in association with the Seoul Performing Arts Company, presented the second national tour of Korean Dance: Tradition and Creation. For nearly two decades, the prestigious Seoul Performing Arts Company (SPAC) has created spectacular productions, traveling to over 40 countries around the world. The 16-member Seoul Performing Arts Company returned to the U.S. in fall 2006 to perform an entrancing program of folk dances as well as contemporary interpretations of ancient court and shamanic dances. Included in the program were the colorful farmer's dance, the vivid Puch'aech'um ("fan dance") and the masked Ch'oyongmu ("dance of the five directions").

2006 U.S. Tour Schedule

• September 30, Worldway's Children Museum (Kirkwood, MO)
• October 1, Washington University (St. Louis, MO)
• October 2, University of Missouri-Columbia (Columbia, MO)
• October 5, Northeastern Illinois University and Korean American Community Services (Chicago, IL)
• October 7, Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL)