8:30pm.
The Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC) annually presents Korean Music Fridays (KMF), an ongoing concert series. This project features the talents of KPAC's artists. To ensure a high level of musical diversity, the concert programs are kept flexible, with the final lineup confirmed at least one month before each performance. Program notes for each concert will be available on the day of the event.
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Experience the vibrant sounds of Korea through Korean Music Fridays, an annual concert series celebrating the depth and diversity of traditional and contemporary Korean music. Presented by the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago KPAC, the series brings together master musicians, emerging artists, and cross-cultural collaborations for an engaging and memorable musical journey.
Each performance spotlights a different facet of Korea’s musical heritage, from the powerful rhythms of pungmul and samulnori, also known as nongak or farmers’ music, to the refined and expressive sounds of the gayageum zither and daegeum bamboo flute. Audiences will also encounter the rich storytelling traditions of gugak and folk song, alongside innovative works that weave Korean musical language with global influences.
Whether you are a longtime listener or discovering Korean music for the first time, Korean Music Fridays offers a welcoming space to experience its artistry, history, and evolving creative spirit.
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Byoung Sug Kim, Executive Director
Through year round educational programs serving more than 130 adults and youths each week and 150 youths and Korean adoptees through our summer camp, as well as performances at approximately 140 cultural events and festivals annually, KPAC artists actively teach, share, and preserve Korean musical traditions while continually refining their own artistry, and this ongoing dedication culminates in Korean Music Fridays, an annual concert series that presents newly developed works, innovative collaborations, and fresh interpretations of both traditional and contemporary Korean music, inviting audiences to celebrate and support the artists’ hard work with enthusiastic applause and spirited calls of Ulssigu and Johta.
Suwan Choi, Artistic Director
Suwan Choi joined KPAC as an Artist in Residence in January 2015 and has since played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing the institute’s artistic programming while fostering numerous collaborations with Chicago based artists to create innovative works that blend traditional Korean music with contemporary influences; in 2022, he received an Individual Artist Support grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency for his exploration of a new musical form integrating traditional Korean drumming with modern music effects and production techniques, and in the same year collaborated with jazz multi instrumentalist Jeff Chan on the album Coalescence; prior to joining KPAC, Choi served as Performance Team Leader for the renowned Korean traditional performance troupe Nanjang and Pan, earned a Master’s degree in World Music from Northern Illinois University in 2021, where he now teaches the Korean percussion ensemble as a credited course, and today continues to lead KPAC as its Artistic Director.
Chasoo Lee, Director of Education
Chansoo Lee is a professional Korean traditional percussionist who trained under master drummer and original SamulNori member Lee Kwang Soo. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Korean music from Sehan University before joining KPAC as an Artist-in-Residence in 2016. In 2018, he presented Choshim (“beginner’s mind”), a full-length solo concert that reexamined and elevated the foundational elements of Korean percussion music. Today, he serves as KPAC’s Director of Education, where he designs and implements the curriculum for KPAC’s percussion programs.
Yun Sil Jang, Director of Early Childhood Education
Yun Sil Jang studied Korean traditional music at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and was a senior member of the Gwangju City Gwangjiwon Nongak Troupe. She joined KPAC as an Artist-in-Residence in 2017 and has since been developing and implementing educational programs for young children (ages 4-8). A versatile artist, she is not only a skilled percussionist but also trained in Korean traditional dance and vocal performance.
Deokhwan Kim, Artist in Residence
Deokhwan Kim earned his master’s degree in Korean traditional music from Yong-in University in South Korea. Since joining KPAC as an Artist-in-Residence in 2021, he has been actively teaching and performing Korean drumming. In 2022, he premiered his original work Flow, featuring three janggu interweaving diverse rhythms over the steady bass of the jing. He has also been training in Western percussion techniques under classical percussionist, educator, and music director Yun Park, with the goal of incorporating these skills into future hybrid works.
Hyunchae Kim, Artist in Residence
Hyunchae Kim majored in gayageum at Seoul National University, where she also earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees with dissertations on gayageum sanjo music. She is a government-certified trainee (Yisuja) of National Intangible Cultural Asset No. 23, Gayageum Sanjo & Byeongchang, and was awarded the Presidential Prize at the 2019 National Gayageum Competition. Since joining KPAC as an Artist-in-Residence in 2023, she has been teaching and performing gayageum and sijo (traditional poetry-song) while also directing the SoriBeat youth instrumental ensemble.
Cheongra Ha. Artist in Residence
Cheongra was accepted into the Korean Music Department at Ewha Womans University with distinction and won the gold prize in the general division at the 13th National Daegeum Competition. She is a trainee of National Intangible Cultural Asset No. 20, Daegeum Jeongak. Cheongra earned her Master’s degree in Korean Studies at SOAS, University of London, and is dedicated to promoting Korean culture and music globally. She has also given a lecture on Korean music by invitation of the Dean at the University of Oxford. In August of this year, she joined KPAC as an Artist in Residence, where she performs, teaches Daegeum, and serves as a performance MC.
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