WEBZINE ACC

A liberated summer night with world music, after the COVID-19 pandemic is over

Despite the continuing heat of the sun during the day, as the coolness of the pleasant evening begins to set in, the summer music festival becomes an excellent opportunity to blow away the stresses of daily life with vibrant music and dance, and to grant oneself a sense of freedom. The anticipation for the yearly festival naturally forms a fandom, creating a dedicated fan base. After a cautious period due to COVID-19 restrictive guidelines over the past 2-3 years, the ACC World Music Festival, held from Aug. 25 to Aug. 27 this year, saw the concert venue filled with spectators without masks. Watching the enthusiastic audience cheering for the performances of various artists, a sense of relief washes over, realizing that we have surpassed the long period of COVID-19. It's deeply satisfying to feel the liberating joy that such days have returned. The face-to-face festival has officially begun.

Collaborative project transcending the boundaries of time, culture, and genres of unique musical instruments, tHinG

This year's festival featured over 30 teams of top-notch and up-and-coming artists from both domestic and international backgrounds. Personally, I found the world music performances, which are often difficult to access, to be impressive. However, I was equally struck by the artists who presented new endeavors based on traditional Korean music and their fusion with popular music. ACC Theater 2 was the sole indoor performance venue, and “ACC Pan” served as the flagship performance title for Park Ae-ri's show. This stage, conceived in 2021 as part of the World Music Festival, provides a platform for the young pansori performers of our time to creatively reinterpret various segments of traditional pansori, breathing new life into this art form. The performance presented was not just a regular invited performance but a specially curated production specifically created for this year's World Music Festival. Indeed, Project tHinG, which brings together artists from diverse backgrounds transcending borders and genres, Namdo Legacy, where we could experience the essence of traditional music from the southern region of Korea, and the special production performance ACC Pan, ‘It’s Chun-hyang Jeon’ featuring vocalist Park Ae-ri and Poppin' Hyun Joon, are all examples of such.

I personally found the performances of Park Jong-hwa, a pianist with over 40 years of experience in project tHinG, Heo Yoon-jeong, a sanjo performer known for bridging traditional and contemporary music with the geomungo, and Gabriel Prokofiev, a composer and electronic music performer, to be particularly impressive. Gabriel Prokofiev studied classical music and composition, and he became interested in why young people were not pursuing classical music as a major. In response, he started organizing events in clubs where he combined classical music with electronic music, creating innovative programs. In this performance that transcended time, culture, and sound, we were able to experience a unique collaboration featuring Park Jong-hwa's striking and bouncing piano performance, the funky sound of the geomungo, and the fusion with electronic music. Truly deserving of the title “World Stage.”

The musician who first released the song “Dance of Spring” dedicated to Gwangju, Narae Lee

The ACC stage is curated with artists who offer music that can be contemplated with depth, showcasing auteurist and innovative experiments. Narae Lee, who has also been active as a vocalist for Leenalchi, is a pansori singer. She challenges various genres and stages such as traditional music based on traditional pansori that she has been practicing for a long time. She also collaborates with foreign musicians and contemporary musicians, performs in creative musicals, and contemporary dance dramas. She said that through the process of deconstructing the story of pansori and the elements of music, and reassembling them in a personal perspective and manner, she aims to create music that can recreate the comfort and empathy she felt while learning tradition, for those who listen to it.

This year's stage, which showcases new song compositions, holds great significance to Narae Lee personally. In particular, she introduced the song “Dance of Spring,” which she made specifically for Gwangju, for the first time in Gwangju. With a contemporary electronic music sound, modern lyrics layered on top of pansori vocal techniques, and singing while dancing in a lamenting manner, the lyrics represent the voices of people participated in Gwangju Democratic Uprising. “We dance the dance of life on top of the dance of death.” The repetitive lyrics linger for a long time.

A festival where we cheer, jump, dance, and become one with special performances by world music stars

The Big Door Stage, performed in Theater 1, is the largest stage. The Big Door Stage is known for its sound, musical color, and interaction with the audience, making it a stage where major international world music big-name stars usually perform. Small Island Big Song, a team from Taiwan, shares the ocean through music with over 100 musicians representing 16 islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Their unique island music and dance performances not only bring excitement but also raise awareness of the ecological and environmental issues of these islands. The performances include videos that aim to reshape the audience's perception.

Arat Kilo, Mamani Keita, Mkie Ladd is a group of French musicians who have a special passion for Ethiopian jazz. They showcase explosive performances and stage presence by utilizing various instruments such as drums, bass, percussion, trumpet, keyboard, saxophone, flute, and vocals. In particular, the audience cheered during the special moments when they came down from the stage, looked into the eyes of a little girl, and sang and danced with her.

Brenda Navarrete, a renowned musician from Cuba who is a singer, percussionist, composer, and producer, along with her 9-piece band, delivered an exhilarating performance that captured the unique joy of Cuba. As is typical of city festivals, the audience predominantly gathers on Saturdays. The final performance on Saturday was by none other than Chang Kiha. The audience's enthusiasm for Chang Kiha, a boundary-pushing artist who has created a unique genre by combining contemporary musical sensibilities with the flavor of the Korean language, reached its peak on that summer night. Especially on weekends, there was a significant participation of families as audience members. The reaction from the audience was fervent as they joined together, moving their bodies, shaking their hands, and jumping while being in sync with the musician's songs, gestures, and instructions.

Directing preserving and blending the diversity of world music with the local identity of Gwangju

I interviewed Heo Yoon Jeong, the artistic director (and professor of the Department of Korean Music, Seoul National University), while she was on the move after completing the festival workshops. Heo Yoon Jeong, who has been the artistic director of the ACC World Music Festival since 2020, stated that after going through the era of non-face-to-face events and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks the true beginning of a full-fledged World Music Festival. While the World Music Festival curated by Director Heo aims to showcase music from all around the world, she also strives to create a distinct Korean world music festival that highlights the rich music of the Gwangju region in Jeollanam-do and preserves its unique local identity.

In the world music market, emphasizing the importance of not just inviting, but also showcasing our own excellent music from Korean traditional culture, is crucial. Therefore, this year's World Music Festival has prepared stages where the modern reinterpretation of pansori, the legacy of Jeollanam-do, and the sounds of masters can be properly heard. When looking back at past festivals, it was discovered that traditional music had not been properly showcased for the past 10 years. Taking inspiration from renowned world music festivals abroad, efforts have been made to showcase performances by traditional music masters from each country. In addition, there has been a focus on showcasing diversity by including genres such as jazz, classical, and folk music.

The process of becoming a festival that artists and audiences eagerly anticipate and trust

The main focus of this year's event planning was to increase the number of stages from three to five, thereby expanding the scale of the festival. Specifically, the event, which was mainly free of charge in the past, has transitioned to a paid format. All the major stages and performances were indeed paid events. Director Heo mentioned the true significance of transitioning to a paid format.

“I feel a sense of pride and gratitude towards those who have purchased tickets and are sitting in the audience. The more renowned and successful a festival becomes, the more there are audiences who eagerly wait for and seek out the festival. The transition to a paid format is not just about money; it is an important process that must be undertaken for the health, maturity, and sustainability of the festival. Loyal and dedicated audiences are indeed the key factor for the sustainability of a festival. It is important to study these audiences and plan the festival accordingly. Just as the audience respects and eagerly awaits the artists, the artists, in turn, respond by delivering exceptional performances with a sense of promise and responsibility towards these audiences. A great festival is built upon this mutual promise and trust between the audience and the artists. It is a step towards creating a festival of higher standards rather than being driven solely by financial considerations.”

A gift for future festival musicians growing with the history of festivals

I noticed special artist workshops and public workshops at this year's World Music Festival. We strive to learn and understand the diverse languages of different countries, including their music, food, culture, and history, which we may not be familiar with. Since music is another form of language, it is important to have opportunities to learn that language as well. It is said that when performing overseas, it is common for requests to include workshops or similar activities after at least two performances. In that sense, workshops of Brenda Navarette, who combines Afrocuban¹⁾ music and dance, Small Island Big Song, who taught Irish dance and songs, Boi Akih, who combine traditional and contemporary music, and Naked, who showcase Balkan music and rhythms, have provided a great opportunity for many citizens and musicians to participate, learn, and enjoy.

Director Heo Yoon Jeong has shown deep passion for the WMF Festa A to Z workshop, which has been held since last year to tutor and nurture future festival planners and festival musicians. The workshop program was designed to allow participants to explore the ACC World Music Festival from A to Z by listening to the vivid stories of the festival planners and performing artists. It aims to provide artists with a clearer and broader vision for their future by delving deeply into the festival's intricacies. During the event period, participants stay in Gwangju and have the opportunity to attend performances, workshops, and mentoring sessions, along with special lectures by festival planners. This year, we selected and conducted training for 12 individuals from various regions across the country.

“AtoZ is in its second year this year.
In the next year, the second year participants will become seniors
and participate in the festival together.
They will become volunteers, form a sense of bonding like family,
and grow by spending time with the World Music Festival.
In 10 years, they will become a part of the festival's history and engage in intergenerational exchange. Furthermore, we hope that these individuals will become talents who contribute to the creation of future festivals. This would be another gift and symbol of the ACC World Music Festival.”

Director Heo Yoon Jeong

To touch the audience and plan a great festival for them

Director Heo Yoon-jeong said, “I was deeply moved by the sight of parents bringing their young children to support Oreka TX despite the scorching heat on the day. There was even a heatwave warning issued that day.”I asked her about the future direction of the ACC World Music Festival. She replied, sharing her vision for the festival's path ahead.

“Festivals are about moving people. The nature of festivals has changed significantly after COVID-19. Adapting flexibly to the situation is crucial in order for a festival to remain well-received and loved. A great festival should not just follow trends, but rather anticipate and set the direction of the trends. A festival should go beyond simple enjoyment and provide an opportunity for rejuvenation and healing. It should not only involve dancing, playing, and having fun, but also facilitate communication of the meaningful messages and values that musicians impart. I hope to plan a festival that attracts such talented musicians, and I also hope to cultivate a loyal audience that eagerly awaits such a festival.”