[Co-production by 2025 Jeonju Int'l Sori Festival and World Music Center]

2025 World Music Journey Lecture-Concert

The World Music Center foundation and the 2025 Int'l Sori Festival jointly organized the “World Music Journey Lecture-concert” series, which took place every Wednesday in July at Hayanyangokjip. Featuring morin khuur player Kim Yeonjun, theorbo player Yoon Hyunjong (with cellist Jang Yujin), banjo player Jang Hyunho, and kora player Jeong Hwanjin (with dundun player Jo Jaeeun), young talented performers shared their music and related stories about instruments from Mongolia, North America, West Africa, and Europe, offering a special opportunity to experience less-focused musics and cultures.

The "2025 Sori Camp" will be held from August 14 (Thu) to 16 (Sat) at various locations in Jeonju including the Sori Arts Center. Under the theme “In Search of the Memory of Scattered Sounds: A Diasporic Approach,” the camp will move beyond theory-based education to offer field-oriented arts education programs. The project is targeted at students specializing in music from universities across the country. Following last year's successful program, the new application process has been completed. The selected 25 participants will have the opportunity to watch performances, listen to lectures by experts, and interact with domestic and international artists, fostering their growth as professional artists and exploring potential career paths.

Music on the Bluegrass: A Journey

Banjo Player Jang Hyunho

Banjo, The Steel String Sounds that Comes to Mind When Listening to Bluegrass

Banjo is a stringed instrument completing the unique sound of bluegrassthat has developed in North America since the mid-20th century. Korean banjo player Jang Hyunho is a banjo player and composer for the bluegrass band "Country Gongbang," as well as a renowned guitarist who has collaborated with Korea's prominent artists. “Country Gongbang” has been actively performing on international stages since 2022, including the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France and the "World of Bluegrass" held by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in the US. Last year, they became the first Korean group to perform at the “Grand Ole Opry” in Nashville, US, often referred to as the shrine of country music.