Music from the Roots that is Newly Created and Dispersed

Experiencing Diaspora through Yanggeum and Sinminyo-byeongchang

The 2025 Jeonju International Sori Festival focuses on the diasporic nature of music, which lies in the musical identity or rootedness that becomes recreated through the addition of diversity yielded by its migration and exchange. “Yoon Eunhwa’s Yanggeum Road” and “Ji Sunja’s Simminyo-byeongchang” at the Sori Festival offers an experience of this diasporic aspect of music. The journey of the yanggeum to Korea, and the sinminyo (lit. new-folksong) performance that carries on the folksong tradition by Ji Younghee and Seong Geumyeon will be enjoyed at this year's Festival.

Yanggeum’s Road Crossing Periodical, Artistic, and Cultural Borders

A Long Journey from ancient Persia to the Korean Peninsula

Yanggeum is the only struck string instrument among traditional Korean instruments. Metal strings are installed on the ladder-shaped body part and struck with bamboo sticks. Its name means “the instrument from the West” and has been called “seoyang-geum (lit. West-string)” or “guracheolsageum (iron-string from Europe).” As its name suggests, originating in ancient Persia, yanggeum became introduced to Europe during the period of Crusades and evolved into dulcimer, and became introduced to Korea via China in the 18th century. The festival performance will present the instrument’s long journey on the stage.

Let us together trace yanggeum’s sonic adventure across time and cultural boundaries, from the tranquility of Iranian santur to the passion of European dulcimer, to the splendor of Chinese yangqin, and to Korean yanggeum in a variety genres including court music, sanjo, folk song, gut (shamanic music), and contemporary genres. “Yanggeum Road” with Yoon Eunhwa, the unique yanggeum instrumentalist, will bring you to a musical journey that connects histories and sentiments, and the past and the present.