The 2026 Donhwamun Gugak Week, titled “Between… Sound… Breath…,” will take place from June 5 to 6 at Seoul Donhwamun Gugakdang, exploring the relationship between sound, silence, breath, and listening in celebration of Gugak Day.
Rather than focusing on delivering an abundance of sound, the program asks a quieter question: how do we listen, and how do we remain within sound as it appears and disappears?
Life emerges, lingers, and fades. Sound follows the same path. Resonance is born, hovers briefly in the air, then dissolves. The performance is structured so audiences can experience those transitional moments directly.
Poster for the 2026 Donhwamun Gugak Week “Between… Sound… Breath…”. Photo by Seoul Namsan Donhwamun Gugakdang.
At the center of the production is the idea of “space.” Silence between sounds, the breath of performers, and subtle bodily movement are treated as elements equal in importance to melody itself. Audiences are not positioned merely as passive listeners following completed compositions. Instead, they become participants witnessing sound at the moment of its creation, expansion, and disappearance within a shared space.
The artistic director is Won Il, known for continuously exploring contemporary approaches to Korean traditional music through projects including the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra and the Hwaeom Music Festival.
Improvisation and collective breathing rooted in the Sinawi tradition form the foundation of Won Il’s musical language. His work often balances individual autonomy with larger ensemble flow, allowing performers to respond to one another in real time.
Responsiveness becomes the organizing principle in his music. One performer’s breath alters another musician’s sound. A subtle change in tone color reshapes the overall movement of the performance. His “Resonance” concert series with the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra became known for drawing audiences into the sensory experience of performance rather than limiting sound to the stage alone.
The performance will feature “Sound Ritual Ensemble : Cy_樂,” led by Won Il. Won Il will oversee sound making, percussion, and vocal elements, joined by vocalist Kim Bora, geomungo player Hwang Jina, and saenghwang performer Han Jisu.
Each instrument contributes a distinct physical presence to the performance structure. The geomungo’s deep and extended resonance forms a low sonic foundation, while the saenghwang creates sustained tones shaped directly by breath passing through the instrument. Vocal sound emerges from the body itself, and percussion vibrations bind the ensemble into a consciously unfolding flow.
Vocalist Kim Bora approaches voice not simply as melody, but as a state existing between breathing, speaking, and singing. Hwang Jina shapes long, grounded resonance through the geomungo, while Han Jisu blurs the boundary between silence and sustained sound through the breathing mechanics of the saenghwang.
Buddhist monk Myeongjin will also participate in the program through singing bowl meditation grounded in Buddhist practice and Seon meditation traditions.
Once struck, a singing bowl’s resonance slowly expands before gradually fading. Audiences follow those lingering vibrations while becoming conscious of their own breathing. Listening, in this context, is treated not simply as hearing music with the ears, but as slowing the pace of the body, breath, and mind.
The timing of the festival alongside Gugak Day carries additional significance. Korean traditional music has historically been transmitted less through notation than through breath, body, oral tradition, and live interaction. The breathing of pansori, the improvisation of sinawi, the rhythmic cycles of sanjo, and the oral transmission of folk song all depend on presence within the moment itself.
“Between… Sound… Breath…” revisits that inherited culture of listening and reframes it as contemporary stage language.
The venue itself also shapes the experience. Seoul Donhwamun Gugakdang, located across from Changdeokgung Palace, combines traditional hanok architecture with modern design. Since opening in 2016, it has operated as a dedicated gugak performance venue designed to bring audiences into close proximity with performers and acoustic resonance.
The space was originally developed as part of a broader effort to restore traditional cultural identity within the Changdeokgung area, transforming a former gas station site into a specialized gugak venue. Currently operated by Culture Bridge, the venue continues to support performances, education programs, and experimental projects exploring the contemporary possibilities of Korean traditional music.
“Between… Sound… Breath…” aligns closely with the character of the venue itself. Rather than relying on spectacle or elaborate staging, the performance centers on the lingering movement of sound, the shared passage of time, and the quiet act of listening between performers and audience members.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.
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