Crossing Boundaries Concert 5: Korean Traditional Music & Contemporary Art

This performance employs both Korean traditional music (Yeonsanheosang, one of the most representative Korean traditional court music compositions) and contemporary art (mandala paintings) inspired by Buddhism.

  musicians:  gamin (piri and saenghwang, Korea)
                       Minkyung Park (haegeum, Korea)
                       Sangmi Kang (gayageum, Korea)
visual artist:  Heejung Kim (Korea)

This is the second of eight concerts in the series during 2019 and will take place on May 31, 2019 at 8:30 pm at CRS. An Opening Reception and Gallery Talk with artist Heejung Kim will take place before the show at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $25 in advance $30 at the door. Students and seniors with valid ID can purchase tickets for $20 at the door. Tickets are available online at crsny.org, by phone (212-677-8621), and at CRS.

Now in its second year, CROSSING BOUNDARIES is a performance series devoted to creating unforgettable live art experiences that dissolve boundaries between performers and audiences, traditional and new music, and the local and the global, bringing people together and promoting the awareness that we each possess a limitless creativity inside us. 

KOREAN ART AND MUSIC

“Music is what dwells in a person from heaven,
what constitutes nature from emptiness,
what moves one’s mind, circulates one’s blood, beats one’s pulse,
and flows one’s spirit.”
—  Source:  extract from the preface of Ak Hak Gwe Beom*

*Ak Hak Gwe Beom is a treatise on music, written in Korea in the 15thcentury, which includes detailed descriptions and fingerings of most of the musical instruments used during that period.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Originally a vocal piece with lyrics drawing on Buddhist scripture, the Yeongsanhoesang suite became purely instrumental in the 15th century. Yeongsanhoesang has undergone continuous change with the current version taking form sometime in the 19th century. There are many versions of the suite, which typically includes 8-9 pieces. While the genesis of the suite is not completely certain, the first piece of the suite, “Sangryeongsan” appears to be the foundation piece for the suite. The following pieces in the suite include variations on “Sangryeongsan,” as well as standard musical forms and dance pieces of the Joseon era (1392-1910).

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

gamin is a traditional Korean musician, trained in jeongak-the classical music of the court and sinawi-the collaborative improvisation that accompanies Korean shamanic ritual. Since leaving orchestral work behind eight years ago, gamin has taken these skills in unexpected directions, using her piri and taepyeongso (Korean oboes), and saengwhang (mouth organ) to pursue contemporary sounds and reach new audiences.
gamin-music.com

Sangmi Kang is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the Westminster Choir College of Rider University. As a professional performer on the gayageum (a traditional Korean stringed instrument), Dr. Kang has performed at several institutions, among them the University of Florida, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
sangmikang.weebly.com/

Haegeum instrumentalist Minkyung Park is a recipient of 67th Chosun Daily Debut Concert and selected as 2006 Kumho Young Artist by Kumho Asiana Foundation for Arts and Culture who has discovered and supported nationally talented instrumentalists. She has performed at many prestigious venues internationally including ‘tea music – longing for friends’ in NYC, combining art performance with harmonization of various genre of music and arts.
parkminkyung.com

ABOUT THE ART EXHIBITION

Heejung Kim will feature her recent ink works on paper together with her selected artist books created within the last 20 years. Her art is influenced by Tibetan Mandala paintings, especially by the patterns and symbols found in them. Her star-like images come from actual dreams she has had since her childhood. Using repetition like the mantras in meditation, Heejung pushes her creative visions into a hypnotic space carrying the viewer into a surreal sense of illusion and the feeling of moving through a vast void.

About Artist Heejung Kim  

Heejung Kim produces both 2-D and 3-D artworks and the themes of her artworks stemmed from Buddhism, her dream images, and her own experiences. Kim had numerous exhibitions nationally and the reviews on her art works include “The New York Times” and “The Star-Ledger”. Kim obtained an MA in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her MFA from SUNY at Stony Brook. She currently teaches at the Raritan Valley Community College.
heejungkim.weebly.com/

The 2019 season of CROSSING BOUNDARIES is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by LMCC. LMCC empowers artists by providing them with networks, resources, and support, to create vibrant, sustainable communities in Manhattan and beyond.