Renowned Korean Musicians, 'Ensemble Sinawi,' to Perform

Ensemble Sinawi will perform on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Shaw Center (Regents Commons).

The internationally renowned Ensemble Sinawi from South Korea will give a concert on campus on Thursday, Aug. 8, following a performance the previous week at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The Aug. 8 concert will take place at 7 p.m. in the Regents Commons of the Shaw Center.

Ensemble Sinawi's exploration of Korea's musical heritage led them to discover the tremendous expressive potential in adapting traditional rhythms and melodies to create new and authentically Korean improvisational musical forms. Drawing inspiration from the ecstatic rhythms of pungnul (farmers' percussion band) and gut (shaman rituals) and the impassioned melodies of pansori (operatic sung drama) and sanjo (instrumental improvisational genre), Ensemble Sinawi crafted a musical bridge from Joseon to jazz.

Together, Lee Bong-geun's vocals and chamber group consisting of an ajaeng (bowed psaltery), gayageum (zither), and traditional Korean percussion perform passionate modern versions of pansori, and the music of gut, as well as original compositions by pianist and ensemble director, Jeong Song-hee.

The stunning juxtaposition of authentic Korean sounds within the context of chamber-jazz performances provides a dynamic and exciting encounter with an extraordinary new form of traditional music for the 21st century.

For more information, contact Anthony Rauche, associate professor of ethnomusicology and chair of the Humanities Department in Hillyer College, at 860.768.4240 or rauche@hartford.edu.