Three "Gaebi" Musicians Carrying on the Korean Music Legacy Unite for Sarangbang Pungryu

National Heritage Center's "O Jeonghye's Sarangbang Pungryu – Gaebi Special"

The National Heritage Center announced on July 29 that it will hold the event "O Jeonghye's Sarangbang Pungryu – Gaebi Special" at the Folk Theater Pungryu, located at the National Intangible Heritage Transmission Training Center, at 7:30 p.m. on August 27.

Kang Minsu, a national intangible cultural heritage Jindo Ssiragegi transmission educator.

"O Jeonghye's Sarangbang Pungryu," which has been running since 2012, is a series of planned performances that recreate the Sarangbang (scholars' study room) culture of the Joseon era. The stage showcases the free-flowing artistic gatherings of the Sarangbang through the witty talks and spontaneous performances of virtuosos.

Unlike previous years, which focused on veteran artists, this year's performance will feature three second-generation "Gaebi" musicians of Korean traditional music: Won Wancheol, Kang Minsu, and Cho Seongjae. "Gaebi" is an insider term in the Korean music world referring to families that have passed down traditional music for generations.

Won Wancheol is the son of Daegeum (Korean bamboo flute) master Won Janghyeon; he is a guiding member of the National Gugak Center and a performer who continues the tradition of "Won Janghyeon-ryu Daegeum Sanjo." Kang Minsu, son of the late masters Kang Junseop and Kim Aeseon, is the intangible cultural heritage holder and transmission educator of Jindo Dasiraegi. Cho Seongjae, son of master Song Sundan, studied the ajaeng under master Kim Ilgu and was awarded the KBS Korean Traditional Music Grand Prize in 2024.

The three artists will recreate the artistic gatherings of Joseon-era musicians, demonstrating versatility that extends beyond their specialized instruments to a wide range of musical instruments. Their performance will feature improvisational music and witty conversation on stage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.