The harmonious tunes of a dozen Korean instruments echoed throughout Korea University (KU) last Friday. On March 3, 2023, the Korea University Gugak Orchestra Gugak Yeongu-hoe held their 72nd biannual concert Eoulim at the Incheon Memorial Hall. Gugak Yeongu-hoe is a KU club that specializes in Korean traditional music, or Gugak. This publicly open concert was their second in-person concert following a two-year hiatus.

The 100-minute show featured a wide range of classical Korean music, from traditional orthodox classics to modern interpretations of Gugak by contemporary artists. Some of the songs played included “Man-pa Jeong-sik jigok,” a royal classic composed during the Joseon dynasty. The somber bellows of the Geomun-go and the elegant whistles of the Piri made a stark contrast from the upbeat mood of “Shin Baetnori,” a hybrid piece utilizing both Korean and Western instruments to play a reimagined version of KU’s victory song.

In a world dominated by pop culture songs, a stage dedicated to traditional music is a rare opportunity to experience the legacy of arts and culture that have passed down generation after generation. The club’s supervising professor Cho Myung Chul (Department of History) shared that the performance was “sure to recreate the sounds our ancestors have held dear to their heart for millenniums.”