Spring Break
Jin Hi Kim kicks off New Music Festival
Jennifer Rundell
Issue date: 3/8/02 Section: The Edge
The 15th annual New Music Festival kicked off Monday afternoon in the University Art Gallery, with a special presentation by composer/performer Jin Hi Kim.
Kim is highly acclaimed, both as a komungo virtuoso and for her bi-cultural compositions.
She has trained as a traditional musician in Korea and came to America to learn western contemporary music.
Kim earned a degree in Korean traditional music at Seoul National University and received a master's degree in electronic music/composition at Mills College.
Her presentation focused on "living tones," which uses only five notes on the komungo; each note has its own shape and language.
"The key of Korean music is to use spices and soul," Kim said.
"There is an individual voice and shape for each note and in Korea we do not practice individualism; we do everything in groups."
The concept of "living tones" was developed over 20 years ago in Korea and contains shamanistic expression, which are the gestures made as the instrument is played.
According to Kim, each tone generated is treated with an abiding respect, as its philosophical mandate from Buddhism.
"The idea of 'living tones' is to shape the note and create a different temper for each," Kim added.
The komungo is one board which consists of six strings and 16 frets.
To play the cords, Kim used a bamboo stick and demonstrated how the strings are attached and how there is extra string wrapped up on the komungo so that, in case it broke, she would have extra.
Kim showed a tape of a performance and then played an excerpt from a CD that could be nine hours long.
She performed her own music on the komungo and showed the audience how she plays nothing about expression of emotion, but how to focus the energy simply on the music.
"The komungo is designed for a Korean room, which is small and has very low ceilings," Kim said.
"I look at all that is natural."
Kim is highly acclaimed, both as a komungo virtuoso and for her bi-cultural compositions.
She has trained as a traditional musician in Korea and came to America to learn western contemporary music.
Kim earned a degree in Korean traditional music at Seoul National University and received a master's degree in electronic music/composition at Mills College.
Her presentation focused on "living tones," which uses only five notes on the komungo; each note has its own shape and language.
"The key of Korean music is to use spices and soul," Kim said.
"There is an individual voice and shape for each note and in Korea we do not practice individualism; we do everything in groups."
The concept of "living tones" was developed over 20 years ago in Korea and contains shamanistic expression, which are the gestures made as the instrument is played.
According to Kim, each tone generated is treated with an abiding respect, as its philosophical mandate from Buddhism.
"The idea of 'living tones' is to shape the note and create a different temper for each," Kim added.
The komungo is one board which consists of six strings and 16 frets.
To play the cords, Kim used a bamboo stick and demonstrated how the strings are attached and how there is extra string wrapped up on the komungo so that, in case it broke, she would have extra.
Kim showed a tape of a performance and then played an excerpt from a CD that could be nine hours long.
She performed her own music on the komungo and showed the audience how she plays nothing about expression of emotion, but how to focus the energy simply on the music.
"The komungo is designed for a Korean room, which is small and has very low ceilings," Kim said.
"I look at all that is natural."
