Classic Tales: The Story Told By Music

• K-Classic Music Concert organised to celebrate the 12th anniversary of Korean Cultural Centre India

• K-Classic Symphony featured the stories of Korean Philharmonic Orchestra musicians – Kim Pil Kyun, Kim Min Jeong and Ryu In Kyung

• Special performance included a rendition of the popular song ‘Jai Ho’ by AR Rahman

11th Dec 2024, New Delhi: To celebrate its 12th anniversary, Korean Cultural Centre India organized two days special K-Classic Music Concert event at the Korean Cultural Centre, scheduled on 10th and 11th December. The special 70-minute concert featured a world-class trio from the Korea Philharmonic Orchestra, who narrated the stories related to the famous classic songs performed by them at the event. The event was planned so that audiences who may find classical music to be difficult will also be able to understand it as there was an element of storytelling associated with each song performed by the musicians.

In addition to classical masterpieces, Korea’s Arirang (most popular traditional folk song) and popular theme song from the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ composed by AR Rahman ‘Jai Ho’, was also performed by the musicians. In a surprise for the audiences, a part of the famous BTS song ‘Dynamite’ was also performed at the event. The K-Classic Music Concert was a great opportunity between the two countries, Korea and India, to interact through classical music.

The artists who graced the stage were violinist Kim Pil Kyun, who is the first Concertmaster chair of the Daejeon City Philharmonic Orchestra; violinist Kim Min Jung who serves as the concertmaster of An Di Musik Philharmonic Orchestra, which has 15 years of history. She is also a representative of Daejeon Arco and actively engaged in activities as a performer, including recently being invited as a performer to the Euro Music Festival in Germany and the Vianden International Music Festival in Luxembourg.

The third artist for the event was pianist Ryu In Kyung, who spent her childhood in Johannesburg, South Africa, and became a member of the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13. She has been working as a professional musician on overseas stages since that young age, showing expressionistic performances and bold innovation in existing classical music pieces.

Pragya Mukherjee, a college student who attended the event said, “Looking at the instruments on the stage, I expected the event to be good. But once the performances began, I was struck by the melody and felt so emotionally involved during the event. It was the first time that I was witnessing a Korean Classical Music Concert Live. I had an amazing time here and I look forward to attending more such performances and concerts.”

Hwang Il Yong, Director of Korean Cultural Centre India said, “Classical music in India can be said to be an uncharted territory that has not yet been explored. For local students and young people who love Korean culture, a concert of classical music that tells the story of Korea is a significant starting point.”