South Korean world music group Gongmyoung is set to perform “Fusion Korean Music Night” in the Japanese cities of Shimonoseki, Sendai and Niigata on June 23, 26 and 28, respectively.
The touring show is co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Consulates General of the Republic of Korea in Hiroshima, Sendai and Niigata.
Since its debut in 1997, Gongmyoung, which translates to “resonance” in Korean, has been introducing a new genre of Korean music, infusing traditional melodies with innovative sounds.
The four-member band will explore unique ensembles of instruments such as the violin, cello, piano, gaygeum and a unique bamboo percussion instrument named “gongmyoung,” which the band invented.
The touring show will be a fusion of traditional art forms, incorporating pansori, or a traditional form of musical storytelling, as well as displays of Korean emotions through traditional dance, said the KF. A pansori singer and a Korean traditional dancer will accompany the tour.
The Japan tour is the second traditional Korean performing arts event overseas organized by the KF this year, following a traditional Korean music performance held in Alaska in March.
More events are scheduled to take place in Panama, Brunei, Turkey and Oman within this year, according to the KF.
