I wanted to share with you some information about an event later in the year that I am very excited about: The K-music Festival 2023 which will be taking place across London between 1st October and 12th November.
The K-Music Festival is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year and through its diverse and eclectic lineup of Korean artists will be showcasing contemporary Korean music. The event will consist of seven live shows across London and presents a unique opportunity to hear some of the most exciting and dynamic Korean artists performing live.
Tickets are on sale here.
‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ has flourished across the world over the past decade and more – not only in K-Pop but also in film, video games, TV, fashion and food. To align with the trend, the festival’s lineup this year is filled with boundary-pushing shows, thrilling collaborations and extraordinary performances that expand to cinematic music and alternative K-Pop. This includes the highly anticipated the Opening Concert featuring film scores from Parasite and Squid Game at the Barbican Centre Hall on the 1st of October and the must-see double bill with JAMBINAI and LEENALCHI at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre on the 10th of November as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2023.
K-Music Festival live show dates:
Jung Jae-il + London Symphony Orchestra: Music from Parasite & Squid Game – Sunday 1st October – Barbican Hall
CelloGayageum + Dasom Baek – Friday 6 October – Kings Place Hall 2
groove& x DUO BUD – Thursday 19 October – Kings Place Hall 1
Haepaary – Tuesday 24 October – The Lower Third
Sun Mi Hong Quartet – Wednesday 1 November – Milton Court, Barbican
LEENALCHI x JAMBINAI – Friday 10 November – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre
Soojin Suh Chordless Quartet + Kit Downes – Sunday 12 November – Purcell Room, Southbank Centre
The organisers have kindly put together a really great playlist on Spotify should you wish to check out some of the music. It can be found by clicking here.
Connect with the K-Music Festival on social media:
Information about the artists:
Jung Jae-il
Award-winning composer Jung Jae-il (the mastermind of Korea’s most popular film scores) will perform his renowned film scores on the opening night. Collaborating with the London Symphony Orchestra, Jae-il will unleash his extraordinary piano prowess, setting the stage ablaze. Audiences can prepare to be immersed in a captivating musical journey showcasing iconic orchestral compositions from beloved Korean films, including the unforgettable masterpieces of Squid Game, Parasite, Broker, and Okja.
As a special treat, he will also unveil a sneak peek of his upcoming album, set to be released this autumn under the prestigious Universal Decca Records label. This intimate piano-based album seamlessly incorporates warm cinematic strings, creating a captivating musical tapestry. Inspired by the themes of nature, humanity, and the significance of attentive listening to both the planet and each other, the album showcases Jae-il’s exceptional talent for crafting evocative and poignant compositions.
CelloGayageum
CelloGayageum was founded in 2016 by Austrian Cellist Sol Daniel Kim and Korean Gayageum player Yoon Dayoung.
The duo drew inspiration from the Pavilion of Unity situated in the centre of Berlin, the catalyst for an intercultural approach to making music that celebrates the harmonious symbiosis between two different cultures and traditions in the search for something new.
Groove& is a dynamic all-female percussion ensemble that specializes in reinterpreting,composing, and performing songs rooted in traditional Korean music. Their captivating performances showcase a diverse range of percussion instruments, including the yanggeum (hammered dulcimer), ulla (a set of gongs), and janggu (slim waist drum). The harmony among the members allows them to create hypnotic and infectious music that resonates with audiences.
Groove& consists of members:
Sangkyung Lee Yang-geum, Jang-gu
Minji Sohn Un-la, Jang-gu
Hagyeong Kim Ggwaeng-gwa-ri, Jang-gu
DUO BUD is a remarkable Korean folk duo whose artistic vision is deeply rooted in nature.So Ra Kim, is a renowned Korean percussionist and composer widely celebrated for her innovative fusion of Korean traditional percussion with other artistic forms, placing great emphasis on the artistic value of Korean percussion. Kim’s groundbreaking approach has earned her prestigious recognition as an official showcase artist at renowned music expos, including WOMEX 2018 and Mundial Montreal 2018.
DUO BUD consists of members:
Sora Kim Janggu, Jing, Jeongju, Yanggeum
Jihye Lim Gayageum
Haepaary
The female alt-electronic duo, have their debut performance at the K-Music Festival this year and will infuse traditional Korean ritual music with a unique twist, incorporating elements of rave and trance to create a truly immersive experience.
HAEPAARY is an alt-electronic duo that infuses a unique twist into traditional Korean ritual music, resulting in a distinct sound characterized as alternative techno, ambient, and dream pop. The band is composed of Hyewon as the instrumentalist and Minhee as the vocalist. With their artistic vision, they embark on a reinterpretation journey, breathing new life into the melodies and lyrics of Jongmyojeryeak, the royal shrine music of the Joseon dynasty, as well as Namchang Ggok, a traditionally male-only vocal genre. By seamlessly incorporating elements of rave and trance, they skillfully unravel the formalities and disciplines associated with Confucian music.
Sun Mi Hong Quartet
Drummer Sun Mi Hong, acclaimed for her sensational performance with her quintet at last year’s K-Music Festival, is set to make a highly anticipated return to K-Music 2023 following her debut with the album “Third Page: Resonance” under the UK Edition label. She returns with an extraordinary quartet comprising:
jazz vocalist Song Yi Jeon,
esteemed pianist Gee Hye Lee
daegeum player Hyelim Kim.
Amsterdam-based Sun Mi Hong has established herself as a respected figure in the European jazz scene, earning accolades such as winning the SENA Dutch Jazz Competition in 2018 and receiving the prestigious Edison Award in 2021 for her album‘A Self-Strewn Portrait’.
Basel-based jazz vocalist and composer Song Yi Jeon has shared the stage with a five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves at the EFG London Jazz Festival. She has honed her signature “east meets west” sound at the Berklee College of Music as the inaugural Quincy Jones CJ&E fellow, where she was also awarded the Billboard Endowed Award. She has played at many clubs/festivals including Blue Note NY, the Jazz GalleryNYC, the Falcon, Bimhuis Amsterdam and Offbeat Jazz Festival Basel to name a few,recently receiving praise for her latest album Home in collaboration with the guitarist Vinicius Gomes. Pianist Gee Hye Lee, who studied under Paul Schwarz in Stuttgart, has been recognized with awards at the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation Competition and has performed at renowned festivals including Jazz Festival Ascona and JAZZOPEN.
London based composer and daegum soloist Hyelim Kim brings a unique blend of innovative approaches and Korean traditional music, having performed at notable events such as the EFG London Jazz Festival and Melbourne Women’s Festival. She also premiered a daegum concertino with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris.
This collaboration between improvisation and traditional Korean music marks the first time that these four accomplished improvisers, active in various parts of Europe, will come together to showcase their vibrant fusion of jazz and Korean music.
JAMBINAI (pictured right)
Rrenowned for their intense folk-infused post-rock, JAMBINAL have graced the stages of prestigious music festivals and events worldwide, including Glastonbury, SXSW, Primavera, Southbank Centre’s Meltdown and the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
LEENALCHI (pictured left) has taken the world by storm with their groundbreaking musical creation, ‘Tiger Is Coming,’ which seamlessly blends danceable grooves and spellbinding storytelling, captivating audiences worldwide.
Soojin Suh Chordless Quartet
SooJin Suh,a prominent experimental drummer from Korea, embarked on her musical journey at the tender age of 5. She honed her craft and graduated from the City College of New York, establishing herself as a leading figure in the industry. With the Chordless Quartet, Soojin Suh delves into new realms of freedom and creativity by deliberately omitting polyphonic instruments like the piano, which traditionally provide harmonic accompaniment. This unique approach allows for a heightened exploration of individual instrument voices within the ensemble.
Soojin Suh Chordless Quartet consists of:
Soojin Suh Drums
Leesu Jung Alto Saxophone
Songha Cheol Tenor, Soprano Saxophone
Younghoo Kim Acoustic Bass
Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award-winning, Mercury Music Award-nominated solo recordingartist for ECM Records. He is regarded as one of the ‘most outstanding British improvisers ofhis generation’—through his organ and piano recordings for ECM Records, as well as hisnumerous collaborations with other musicians, writers, and artists. He has toured the worldplaying the piano, church organ, and harmonium with his bands (‘ENEMY,’ ‘Troyka,’ and’Elt’), as well as with artists such as Square pusher, Empirical, Benny Greb, and Sam Amidon.
He has received two 1st place awards in Downbeat’s Critics Poll for the Rising Star in Organ and Keyboard categories. Hisalbums Obsidian, Dream life of Debris, and Vermillion, released under ECM records, have garnered significant critical acclaim.He has written commissions for the Cheltenham Music Festival, London Contemporary Orchestra, Ensemble Klang at the ReWire Festival, the Scottish Ensemble, ColognePhilharmonie, and the Wellcome Trust. In 2017, Kit wrote 52 piano pieces for his right hand only after injuring his left hand, composing one piece for each day of his recovery.
Artistic Director Jaeyeon Park comments about the Festival:
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the K-Music Festival this year. We have been organising the festival in partnership with Serious, the founder of the EFG London Jazz Festival. Throughout the past nine years, the festival has left a lasting impact, infusing the vibrant music scene of London with delightful Korean musical flavours.
It has become the largest and most enduring platform in Europe, shining a spotlight on the finest talents from Korea. The festival has curated an impressive collection of 62 live concerts and 14 digital concerts, featuring a remarkable lineup of 1,064 artists. Among them are renowned figures such as the National Orchestra of Korea, Ahn Sook-sun, Jambinai, Black String, Jaram Lee, SsingSsing, Andy Sheppard, Vincent Periani, Nguyên Le, and Camila George. With its diverse range of genres spanning rock, folk, jazz, and contemporary classical, the festival has successfully reached an enthusiastic audience of 13,427 attendees in the UK, while also engaging with 31,000 online participants worldwide. This year’s line-up continues to push the boundaries of musical artistry, incorporating film scores, alternative K-Pop, and electronic music, while still embracing traditions. We hope that the festival’s legacy will contribute to adding another layer to the UK music scene, making it even more diverse and exciting.”