RAS Lecture Presentation
Feb. 11, 2004
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.


“Korean Traditional Performing Arts”

By Ms. Kolleen Park
Music director of Sungkyunkwan University

The Auditorium of Daewoo Foundation Building, 8th Floor
( 대우  재단  빌딩 강당 8층 )



Korean traditional music and dance is not only different from just Western music and dance but it is also considered unique even within the boundaries of Far East Asia. Unlike its neighboring China and Japan, Korean music consists largely of triple meters in its rhythmic patterns and has a unique approach to the emotional basis of its classical and folk performing arts. We will look into the differences of the two main categories of ‘proper’ classical music and the ‘people’ folk music, the colors associated with the genres, their symbols, and their cultural influences. Understanding some of the most basic ideas behind Korean music and dance, will not only help one to enjoy the performing arts itself but also in understanding the culture and the people of Korea.


Born in Los Angeles, Kolleen Park studied music at California Institute of the Arts as well as doing her graduate work at Seoul National University in traditional music composition. Having been raised in both music cultures, she has been in Korea working as a music director for the last 13 years in musical theater, lecturing at numerous universities in both musicals and traditional music, translating numerous works in traditional music fields, and hosted ‘Sound and Motion’, a Korean traditional music program on Arirang TV for 4 years. She is currently lecturing at Sungkyunkwan and Myungji Universities in musical theater, is music director and conductor to many of the large musical productions in Seoul, and has completed writing two new original works which will be produced next year.