Vocal Recital: Korean Art Song and Folk Song

Art and folk song traditions of Korea

Hear folk songs collected by Korean composer and musicologist Jean Ahn, as well as popular tunes written by Dong-Jin Kim and Du-Nam Jo. The program also features songs by populist composer Sun-Nam Kim, whose political idealism was crushed under the repressive North Korean regime of Kim Il Sung.

Many of these songs express a yearning for simplicity and the tranquility of the natural world. Some have served as a balm amid periods of tumult and revolution. We invite you to share in this collection of songs that express the hopes and longings of generations across a deeply divided peninsula.

Staff pianist and recital curator Jin Hyun Park writes, “Korean art songs are hardly sung and learned outside Korea. Folk songs are important in education because of the historical and cultural experiences you can give to students. I wanted to give students, as well as audiences, the opportunity to expand their musicality and boundaries by introducing songs based on folk songs and popular art songs.”

Program (subject to change)

Meet Our Faculty

Pianist Jin Hyun Park has appeared at the Kastamoksha Music Festival and the Russian International Music Festival, and in concert with the Saint Petersburg Regional Orchestra and Saint Petersburg String Quartet. She has been an apprentice pianist with the Lake George Opera Company, a participant in the professional development program of SongFest LA, and a collaborative pianist in Philadelphia’s Russian Opera Workshop. She joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2016.