Back home in Switzerland, he was nicknamed, “The Singing Diplomat,” and for good reason. The artistic life of Raoul Imbach, a counsellor-level envoy at the Swiss Embassy in Korea, has long accompanied his diplomatic profession.
His singing career started at age 5, and 50 years later he is still going strong as a singer-songwriter.
Now he is celebrating his 10th studio album and the completion of a five-year posting here. The 14-track LP features what Imbach described as a “light and fun tune” dedicated to his Korean friends titled “Bbo bbo hae jo.”
“In the song, we do the opposite of what most K-pop bands do, we sing the song in English and the chorus in Korean,” he said.
Imbach is a 28-year career diplomat with the Foreign Service of Switzerland.
Imbach breaks the stereotype of a stiff, buttoned-up Foreign Service officer hamstrung by awkward formalities and Byzantine protocol. Imbach has been light on his feet in Korea, openly pursuing his creative interests during his posting here, such as salsa dancing ― he teaches courses in Itaewon ― gourmet cooking and, of course, music.
This promotional image shows Raoul Imbach, counsellor at the Swiss Embassy in Korea, in several roles ― as a singer, dancer and, of course, as a foreign envoy.
In his role as a diplomat, Imbach dealt with a broad array of international issues from trade and culture to human rights and the environment.
His music career began at age 5 as a child performer in the Switzerland of the 1970s with some success, playing a multitude of concerts, weddings and special holiday events. He performed live on the radio and made a number of appearances on television.
“I started singing in my hometown of Sion, in Valais,” he said. After years of success, however, when Imbach became a teenager, everything changed because his voice changed. “When I was about to record my first album, my voice cracked and the invitation to record an album was canceled,” he said.
Then came high school and university studies and, in the mid-1980s, a career in the Swiss Foreign Service. But Imbach did finally record his first album, in 1996, during a posting in Costa Rica.
Shortly after he arrived in Korea in September 2008, Imbach formed the band, SwissKo, with Korean jazz musicians. He assembled his current band, The Xpats, in 2011.
This group Imbach described as even more “international,” as it is composed of musicians from seven different countries: Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Chile, Uruguay, Russia and Korea. The Xpats play Latin and classic rock, and some of Imbach’s original songs.
He completes his posting here in August and will perform with The Xpats at an outdoor international spring concert organized by the Korea Foundation on the banks of the Cheonggyecheon Stream in downtown Seoul on June 2.
Before Imbach moves to Manila, the Philippines, to begin his next assignment, he will have, perhaps, his most important performance to give. Imbach, 55, is marrying long-time girlfriend Mai-huong Nguyen on her birthday. He said he plans on performing with his band at his wedding.
By Philip Iglauer (ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)