To commemorate the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, the Min-On Concert Association co-organized the Korea-Japan Youth Concert with the Korean Embassy in Japan’s Korean Cultural Center (KCC) on April 18. Held at the KCC Hammadang Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the event is the seventh in a series that kicked off in 2018.
On April 20, Min-On worked with the Osaka Korean Cultural Center for the first time with a concert at the Center’s Nuri Hall. The first event drew some 250 concertgoers; a total of some 280 attended the daytime and evening performance in Osaka.
Four artists from the Busan National Gugak Center took part in the concerts: Lee Jin-Hee on the janggu, a two-headed drum; Oh Gyo-Seong on the daegeum, a bamboo flute; Han Su-ji on the haegeum, a two-stringed bowed fiddle; and Shin Jin-Won performing the pansori, a musical storytelling vocalist.
They were joined by shamisen player Sho Asano, 25-string koto player Takashi Honma and drummer Masayuki Sakamoto from Japan.
The program’s first half was a showcase of traditional Korean music, with the second half performed by the musicians of traditional Japanese instruments.
The artists from both countries then collaborated in playing such Korean favorites as “Arirang Variations” and “Uodouji” as well as the iconic Japanese “Donpan-bushi,” wowing the audience with their rich melodies and powerful partnership.
The Korea-Japan Youth Concert can be viewed on the Min-On Concert Association YouTube channel.
This series of special concerts was made possible by the supporting members of the Min-On Concert Association and other contributors to our various outreach initiatives.
