Soothing to the ear, a feast for the eyes, calming for the mind, and enriching for the soul, that's how I describe the Korean traditional music and performing arts.

As we are all mainly confined to our homes for enforced quarantine due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it eventually changed our usual daily routines both inside and outside of our doors. As Korea is doing everything to fully contain the coronavirus outbreak that has gained praises from abroad, the country is once again making a significant initiative to give hope not only to its citizens but also to connect the whole world through the promotion of Korean performing arts and concerts online.

The National Gugak Center in Seoul and Korea National University of Arts along with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism share series of performances online as part of the 'hope concert' with the aim to promote the Korean culture, support artists in the field, and give hope to everyone in these trying times. ©National Gugak Center

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, with the offerings organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism along with the most prominent Korean art institutions in Korea including the Korea National University of Arts and the National Gugak Center in Seoul, we can leave our worries for a while, have time for self-care, and learn something new about the Korean traditional music and performing arts without leaving our homes. Through their websites and online channels on YouTube and Naver, these institutions hold series of performances online as part of the 'hope concert' with the aim of not only to promote the Korean culture but also support artists in the field and give hope to everyone in these trying times.

*Samul nori is a percussion quartet comprised of four traditional Korean musical instruments such as buk, a janggu, jing, and kkwaenggwari performed by farmers in villages to celebrate good harvest.

Korean folk music, traditional dances and rituals, or gugak in the local language, such as the pansori, samul nori, nongak, sinawi, and chongak are just a few of the performances that many can enjoy and watch online which are being uploaded daily on various social media platforms. In addition to, yangak music performances such as ballet and showcases that use Western musical instruments like piano and violin are also being posted.

Pansori is a narrative musical dramatically performed by a folk singer and accompanied by a puk drummer. ©KNU of Arts/K-Arts

Korean performing arts is very distinctive and mostly presented through a combination of traditional music and folk songs, ritualistic dances, and fluid storytelling. I am not into folk songs and operas but Arirang, the popular Korean folk song listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, made me love such genre. Korea National University of Arts alumnus and pansori singer Kim Nani's performance of Sacheolga “Song for Four Seasons” has also captivated my interest as my love for Arirang. Pansori, sometimes called as Korean folk opera, is a narrative musical dramatically performed by a folk singer and accompanied by a puk drummer. The performance was simply beautiful and pleasing as if it would take away our troubles with the wind as we closed our very eyes and listen. A few of the reasons why it is soothing to the ear is the effective singing of the pansori singer accompanied by effective narration and dramatic gestures while in the rythmic setting of the puk, or the double-headed drum used in this folk song repertoire.

*Sinawi is a Korean traditional shamanistic music performed by an ensemble of musical instruments.

While Korean folk music is something pleasing to the ear, these wonderful performances also provide a sense of calmness for the mind and body which is why we all need such showcase amid the life chaos we face today. A registered UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, the sinawi presented by the National Gugak Center will definitely help to bring some peace and calm ourselves in the moment. Sinawi, or spelled as shinawi at times, is a Korean traditional shamanistic music performed by an ensemble of musical instruments such as the two double-reed bamboo oboe (piri), two-stringed zith (haegeum), hourglass drum (janggu), large bamboo transverse flute (daegeum), and large drum (buk), following the principle of sam-hyeon-yuk-gak, but sometimes it also accompanied by gayageum and geomungo. It is usually performed during a shaman’s ritual dance ceremony to entertain the deities and the Gods. With its origin, I find it charming as the contemporary music it creates can kindle emotional connections, can inspire people, and provide the relaxation we need during this time.

*Korea National University of Arts student Kim Dong-hyun's dance performance of “Boy in Blue Suits.. Asks How Are You Doing.”

*The Namwon National Gugak Center’s soothing sinawi showcase.

Additionally, as we enjoy these classic forms of Korean music, performances such as Korea National University of Arts (Department of Dance Performance) student Kim Dong-hyun's performance of “Boy in Blue Suits.. Asks How Are You Doing” and the sinawi ensemble showcase of the Namwon National Gugak Center can also stir good thoughts and new hopes to enrich our soul while letting go of anxiety, our worries and fears about the COVID-19 pandemic. If you also want to get your day livelier, there are also samul nori performances which are interactive and lively in nature. Samul nori, which has its roots in pungmul and customarily performed by farmers in villages to celebrate good harvest, is basically a percussion quartet comprised of four traditional Korean musical instruments such as barrel drum (buk), a janggu drum, a gong (jing), and small gong called kkwaenggwari. The costumes, music, folk dance, acrobatics and rituals make samul nori an extraordinary performance to keep us all entertained.

The beauty and elegance of hanbok were also showcased in all of the performances including the integration of arts in calligraphy, painting and embroidery. ©KNU of Arts/K-Arts

Korean performing arts is also a feast for the viewers’ eyes as performances are not just about the beautiful songs and dances but also the incorporated visual arts to add more appeal and make the storytelling more effective. With great attention to costumes, the beauty and elegance of the Korean traditional clothing hanbok were also showcased in all of the performances including the integration of arts in calligraphy, painting and embroidery with meticulous details. A wide array of hanbok, from the most common ones and official yangban clothes to royal hanbok dresses, were presented and are captivating in both colors and patterns. Korean performing arts is indeed stunning as everything is a visual experience for the audience.

As we all battle to contain the coronavirus, creative ways like these K-Art hope concerts and online performances can help us cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay at home, obey those in authority, relax and free your mind from stress. Even if we are confined to our homes right now, it is not the reason for us to lose hope as we are all in this together and we will soon be able to overcome it.

The Korea National University of Arts kicks off its online concert series on March 11 and ends until March 31st. While the National Gugak Center started posting their online concerts on March 17 which will include about 11 performances from the traditional and folk music groups Jeongakdan and Minsokakdan respectively.

*This article was both published on the Talk Talk Korea (“[K-Arts Review] Korean arts in these trying times,” March 20, 2020) web portal and Korea.net (“[Stay strong, Korea] Online videos of traditional arts offer relief amid outbreak,” March 20, 2020). All screen capture photos included in this article are property of the Korea National University of Arts and the National Gugak Center which are protected under applicable copyrights.