Korean National Military Symphony concert to commemorate U.S.-Korea relations in Royce Hall
Korean National Military Symphony
Wednesday, 8 p.m.
Royce Hall, FREE
By Jennifer Nguyen
Sept. 13, 2011 11:45 p.m.
In South Korea, all men aged 20-30 are required to enlist in the military for at least two years. But those who make a career out of performing music are given the chance to continue practicing their passion and honing their artistic talents in a government-assigned military music unit.
Armed with violins and clarinets, the Korean National Military Symphony will perform at Royce Hall on Wednesday night as the formal opening event for the 38th annual Los Angeles Korean Festival.
The concert, which marks the orchestra’s first time ever performing on American soil, will serve to commemorate war veterans who fought to maintain peace in South Korea and provided aid to the country during the Korean War, according to C. S. Hah, who coordinates production and manages tour operation for the symphony.
Hah said that during the war, the United States and other U.N. nations offered substantial military support to South Korea, which at the time was not the globally powerful country that it is today.
“Now after 61 years, Korea has grown up into one of those countries with a very strong presence in the world’s economy,” said Hah. “Now (it is) able to send this entourage of a symphony to show gratitude to the U.S. military and to commemorate the U.S. veterans.”
UCLA alum, music director and conductor Jong Hoon Bae said he hopes that the concert goes beyond being merely a show of appreciation. He also said he anticipates that the performance will bring the two countries closer together and facilitate a relationship between Koreans and non-Koreans alike.
According to Bae, music is about more than just producing beautiful melodies ““ it is a means of connecting people to people, regardless of nationality and borderlines.
“My slogan is, “˜creating harmony and peace beyond sounds,'” said Bae. “Music is a global language. In doing our performance, I want the audience to feel as one, and that the Korean and American friendship is stronger than ever.”
The symphony will perform a broad repertoire of music that includes pieces by Russian and Mexican composers, as well as American composer George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” The show will open with a percussion act from a Korean traditional band and will include appearances by Korean celebrities, such as contemporary pop singer Hyo Shin Park.
According to Bae, the event is particularly meaningful and appropriate since the symphony itself consists of active duty military soldiers.
Bae, who will lead the symphony on its U.S. tour that begins at Camp Pendleton and ends at the USS Midway, said that the symphony’s series of performances will create a strong military-to-military bond between Korea and the United States.
Francis Hur, executive director of the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, said he feels extremely honored that the symphony agreed to perform the opening ceremony for the festival and is looking forward to the new sound that they will bring to this year’s celebration.
“Everybody wants to come to see the orchestra and the concert. They’ve never seen this kind of event before,” Hur said. “A lot of Korean people, musicians and artists have come by and performed here, but never a military orchestra.”
The Los Angeles Korean Festival, which hosts about 300,000 visitors over the span of its four-day duration, celebrates Korea’s culture and heritage through food booths, musical performances and interactive activities such as dancing contests. Hur also said he believes that both the festival and the performance by the military orchestra will celebrate the racial heterogeneity of Los Angeles, while maintaining the distinct identity of Korea.
