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Korea Foundation Cultural Center Celebrates its 4th Anniversary

To commemorate the fourth anniversary and to express its appreciation to supporters of its programs, the Korea Foundation Cultural Center presented an “Art+Music” event (September 1-2), which featured a live painting performance to the accompaniment of jazz music.

September 2009 marks the fourth year since the opening of the Korea Foundation Cultural Center, which has since established itself as a cultural space dedicated to cross-cultural interaction that includes the introduction of Korean culture and efforts to broaden awareness of foreign cultures in Korea, through the organization and support of a variety of artistic and cultural programs.
As a gesture of appreciation for the groups and individuals who have lent support to the Foundation’s programs and activities, the Center organized a two-day “Art+Music” event that included out-of-the-ordinary performances by Grupo Vocal Millennium, a Spanish chorus group, and the “Prelude” jazz group, whose music was expressed by a live painting work d by French artist Gérard Economos.



Spanish Arirang
The initial performance was headlined by Grupo Vocal Millennium, a chorus group from Spain that has contributed much to making Korean culture known in Europe. Under the leadership of conductor Im Jae-sik, the group was founded in Spain in 1999. Over the years, the Grupo Vocal Millennium has helped to introduce Spanish songs to audiences in Korea and Korean songs to those in Spain. All of its members, except Im, are Spanish nationals and talented musicians selected from the RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television) Choir, with a 50-year history. Thanks to the concerted efforts of conductor Im Jae-sik and the Grupo Vocal Millennium members, the group has made quite a name for itself, which has resulted in its performances being shown on nationwide TV broadcasts since 2001, and the receipt of regular invitations to various music festivals in Spain and Israel.
For the first half, the group performed various Spanish songs, portraying the diversity of Spanish culture. After a short break, the group members returned to the stage in elegant Korean hanbok, which surprised the audience, who expressed their approval with loud applause. Moreover, the audience could not hide their enthusiasm when the Spanish group sang Korean folk songs. In fact, the singing of Korean folk songs by this group of foreigners left unique impression, different from a performance by Koreans. It was readily evident how this group has served as a cultural bridge between the peoples of Spain and Korea.



Music-inspired Painting
On the second evening, the Center gallery was abuzz with anticipation over the performance by the Prelude jazz group, together with the French artist Gérard Economos, who would express the music in the form of a contemporary painting, d on a large canvas. Already widely known among local jazz fans, the Prelude group is comprised of graduates of Berkley College of Music, a world renowned institution that specializes in jazz music education. Since 2003, the group has been active in Boston and New York, along with developing a loyal following in Korea as well.
In Part I, the group presented the representative works from their albums, while revealing the colorfulness of their music. The group’s delightful characteristics, of both melodic and funky sounds, were well conveyed to the audience. In Part II, the band was joined by Gérard Economos, a French painter who has often d spontaneous abstract paintings, based on lyrical inspiration.
The passionate artistry of this gray-haired man of slight build was readily evident as he busily applied colorful forms to a large canvas, installed on the stage. He completed his entire painting during Prelude’s second-half performance, which began with “Falling Slowly,” a theme song from the movie “Once.” Blue was a prevalent color, which apparently reflected his impressions of Prelude’s music.



Richard Rho, the group’s saxophonist, asked Economos: “Can you explain what you painted tonight?” Instead of a direct response, the painter asked in return: “Can you explain your music in words?” Indeed, music and painting are artistic s that do not necessarily need to be verbally explained or described.
In all, the Korea Foundation Cultural Center celebrated its fourth anniversary in an unusual style, with unique performances that are not often presented in Korea. In this way, the Center thus looks forward to continuing its role as a venue to promote cross-cultural exchange and diversity.

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