From Morin Khuur to Cello: Sixty Years of Expanding the Horizons of Orchestral Gugak

2026 Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival Kicks Off October 6
The Largest Edition Yet, with 11 Ensembles Including the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra
“Staying True to Tradition, Breathing with the Present”
Collaborative S

A stage where audiences can appreciate the harmonious tones of East Asian traditional instruments such as the Morin Khuur, Shakuhachi, and Suona, which are unfamiliar to many, alongside Korean traditional instruments, has been prepared.

On September 15, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced that it will hold the 4th '2026 Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival' at the M Theater from October 6 to 17. An Ho-sang, President of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, said at the press conference held at the center on the same day, "This year's festival will be held on the largest scale ever, with 11 organizations participating."

Participants will include 10 national and public institutions, such as the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra—which marked the beginning of Korean traditional orchestral music after its founding in 1965—along with the KBS Korean Traditional Music Orchestra, the National Gugak Center’s Creative Orchestra, the Busan Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra, and, from the private sector, the Central Gugak Orchestra, the oldest private gugak orchestra in Korea.

The concert on October 7 presented by the Pyeongtaek City Korean Traditional Orchestra will offer audiences the chance to hear the diverse sounds of East Asian traditional instruments such as the Morin Khuur, Shakuhachi, Suona, and Pipa. The performance will be conducted by Yasushi Inada, former resident conductor of Tokyo Universal Philharmonic Orchestra. Among the 11 conductors participating in this year's festival, he is the only foreign conductor. Woonsu Jin, Principal Conductor of the Pyeongtaek City Korean Traditional Orchestra, described Maestro Inada as "a conductor well-versed in both Eastern and Western music, having studied Japanese traditional music as well as at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna."

An Ho-sang, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Paik Beomhoon, Chairman of the Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival, and others attending the press conference for the production of the 2026 Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival held on the 15th at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

In addition to the Pyeongtaek City Korean Traditional Orchestra concert, there will be a range of collaborations featuring various genres bound to spark curiosity.

The opening concert on the 6th, presented by the KBS Korean Traditional Music Orchestra, will feature a collaboration with cellist Kim Sol Daniel. On the 8th, the Ansan City Korean Traditional Orchestra will perform original soundtracks from Studio Ghibli films and Korean pop songs, reinterpreted as traditional orchestral music. On the 9th, Jeong Yongjin, a certified performer of Seungmu, a national intangible cultural heritage, will join the Jinju City Korean Traditional Orchestra on stage.

On the 10th, the Central Gugak Orchestra will present "Chunhyangjeon" and "Simcheongjeon," traditional Korean outdoor dramas, together with members of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, promising a festive blend of music and performance.

On the 13th, the Seongnam City Korean Traditional Orchestra will perform with pianist Ethan, and on the 15th, the Busan Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra will be joined by saxophonist Lee Jeongsik. At the closing concert on the 17th, the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra will perform alongside violinist Danny Koo and beatboxer Bigman. Bigman will premiere a new work composed by Lee Ilwoo for beatboxing and traditional orchestra.

Despite its name, gugak is often mistaken for an ancient and timeless musical form; however, traditional orchestral music in Korea is a contemporary genre with just over 60 years of history, with the formation of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra in 1965 regarded as the starting point.

Paik Beomhoon, Chairman of the Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival, said, "Korean traditional orchestra now has a 60-year history. It began with ensemble performances of our folk and traditional music, and as the orchestral format became established, the instruments themselves were improved and now a wide variety of orchestral works are being created."

Festival committee member Lee Soyoung stressed, "Although the term 'gugak' may seem to indicate very old traditional music, in reality, we are making the most contemporary music. Every piece performed is a modern composition created in the present era."

Chairman Paik emphasized that collaborations with a wide variety of instruments are a process of expanding the boundaries of traditional orchestral music and making it more familiar to audiences. Citing examples of the cello, double bass, and timpani incorporated into gugak orchestras, he explained, "It's not about simply adopting foreign instruments as they are, but rather adapting them to fit our music and using them to supplement ranges and expressions that might be lacking." He continued, "Even among our traditional instruments, many originated abroad and, over time, have transformed into instruments that play our music. What matters is not where an instrument came from, but how it becomes an instrument that can play our music."

Beomhoon Park, Chairman of the 2026 Korean Traditional Music Orchestra Festival, is explaining the significance of the festival at the press conference held at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on the 15th. Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Exchange with East Asian traditional instruments is evolving in the same context. Paik noted, "While each country's instruments in Asia have different musical traditions, there is much they share historically and culturally. As more diverse instruments collaborate with Korean traditional orchestras, the scope of our traditional orchestral music has greatly expanded."

Paik also underlined that, as the festival seeks harmony based on our unique tradition, balancing traditionality and contemporaneity is important. He explained, "The greatest concern is how to create music that is uniquely ours yet can still resonate in new ways. If we focus too much on novelty, we lose our identity, but if we focus only on identity, we risk remaining stuck in the past." He went on, "It is my hope that Korean traditional orchestra music will preserve its distinct emotional quality and characteristics, while growing into music that people worldwide can share together."

An Ho-sang, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, explained that the reason for launching the Korea National Gugak Orchestra Festival four years ago was that the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra is an ensemble under the wing of Sejong Center. As an institution with the orchestra that marked the starting point of Korean traditional orchestral music, Sejong Center recognized the need for a meaningful orchestral festival.

President An said, "When we first started, far more people participated than we ever hoped or expected, which is why the festival was able to grow so quickly. We plan to prepare even more so that it can continue to grow in the future."

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