The Sori Frontier with KB Bank contest took place October 5, 2019 during the annual Jeonju International Sori Festival at the Yeonji Madang stage. The contest has been running for 10 years and seeks to promote new Korean talent in the world music field. The winner of the final competition gets 18 million won. The winner this year was the trio Sangjaru: Korean Gypsy.
Sangjaru: Korean Gypsy 이미지 intends to inject new creativity into ‘sangja (box)’, meaning tradition. The three artists combine traditional Korean music with Gypsy swing and improvisation. The band includes Jo Seongyun on guitar; Gwon Hyochang on janggu (drum); and Nam Seonghun on ajaeng (wide zither).
Sangjaru: Korean Gypsy put on a visually fun and lively show. They changed costumes throughout the performance, switching from traditional Korean outfits to enormous white wigs.
Although I enjoyed Sangjaru: Korean Gypsy, my favorite act was Gaak Project 이미지. The group combines fascinating, finely-crafted traditional music from Jeollabuk-do province with subtle keyboards, processed guitars and electronics in an intimate setting.
Gaak Project performs music based on the traditions of Jeollabuk-do province. Band members include Park Hyeonyeong on vocals; ; Lee Dongjun on bamboo flute; Seo Sujin on ajaeng; Kim Hansaem on percussion; and Park Dongseok on keyboards and guitar.
The last act was Hey String 이미지, a trio of three gayageum players who delivered a set of mesmerizing melodic and avant-garde musical pieces using gayaeums and water-filled glasses. Hey String includes Jihyo Kim on gayageum, glassharp, kalimba; Jihyeon Park on gayageum, glockenspiel, vocals; and Jihyeon Oh on gayageum, percussion, glokenspiel.
More about the Sori Festival
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
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