DING DONG WITH DONG-WON ROUND 005: IF VOLCANOES COULD SING
WITH KOREAN PANSORI SINGER IL-DONG BAE

“If volcanos could sing, then they would sound like Bae Il Dong. The Korean’s voice has such breadth that it not only fills physical space like a lava flow but seems to stretch back across time.” – John Shand, Jazz/New Music Critic, Sydney Morning Herald.

As part of Improviser-in-Residence Dong-Won Kim’s 2014 residency, Musagetes and IISCI are pleased to present the fifth round in this ongoing improvisation series, a performance and workshop with renowned Korean Pansori Singer Il-Dong Bae. These two exceptional performers bring the musical storytelling art of Pansori to Guelph. Pansori is a music practice rooted in shamanism; its practitioners train extensively in isolation. To develop his vocal strength, Il-Dong Bae spent 7 years living beside and singing into a waterfall, perfecting his craft. It’s an extremely rare occasion for Il-Dong Bae to travel outside of Korea, and this workshop will be momentous. Bring open hearts, open minds, and your questions about Pansori and improvisation within traditional music. See you on Tuesday, November 4 at 7 PM! The event is physically accessible and admission is free.

Please save the date for upcoming workshops:
Ding-Dong 006: Composition In Improvisation | Tuesday, November 18th, 7-9 PM
Ding-Dong 007: Homage To Silence | Tuesday, December 2nd, 7-9 PM

Dong-Won Kim and Il-Dong Bae will also give a concert alongside a film screening, If Volcanoes Could Sing: The Art of Pansori. The two musicians are featured in the film Intangible Asset #82, a reference to the Korean government’s designation of Kim Seok-Chul, a venerable shaman as a cultural asset. A performance by Dong-Won Kim and Il-Dong Bae will follow each screening.
Toronto – November 9, 7-10pm – The Music Gallery, 197 John Street (http://openears.ca/new-events/pansoritoronto)
Waterloo – November 12, 7-10pm – Princess Cinema (http://openears.ca/new-events/pansoriwaterloo) 

Dong-Won Kim is a Korean percussionist, vocalist, composer, and improviser. He has studied Korean traditional music since 1984, including farmers’ drumming and dance, shaman music, and Pansori accompaniment. Dong Won Kim is an internationally recognized master of his form who has performed at the United Nations General Assembly Hall as a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble Project. Dong-Won has taught at various institutions internationally including Harvard University, the Musikak-Ademie Basel, Switzerland and currently teaches music as a professor of Wonkwang Digital University. http://www.silkroadproject.org/ensemble/artists/dong-won-kim/