The music of South Korea has evolved over the course of the decades since the end of the Korean War, and has its roots in the music of the Korean people, who have inhabited the Korean peninsula for over a millennium. Contemporary South Korean music can be divided into three different main categories: Traditional Korean folk music, popular music, or K-pop, and Western-influenced non-popular music.
Pansori is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.
Kunqu, also known as Kunju (崑劇), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It has been listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Wei Liangfu refined the musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji. In 2006, it was listed on the first national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2008, it was included in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced that Peking University is the base for inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture in Kunqu.
Stories and practices that are considered part of Korean folklore go back several thousand years. These tales derive from a variety of origins, including Shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and more recently Christianity.
Pungmul is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with dozens of players all in constant motion. Pungmul is rooted in the dure farming culture. It was originally played as part of farm work, on rural holidays, at other village community-building events, and to accompany shamanistic rituals, mask dance dramas, and other types of performance. During the late 1960s and 1970s it expanded in meaning and was actively used in political protest during the pro-democracy movement, although today it is most often seen as a performing art. Based on 1980s research, this kind of music was extensively studied in Chindo Island.
Seopyeonje is a 1993 South Korean musical drama film directed by Im Kwon-taek, based on the eponymous novel by Yi Chong-jun. It is the first South Korean film to draw over one million audiences and has had significant influence in reviving popular interest in traditional Korean culture and pansori.
Hyŏmnyulsa (Korean: 협률사) was among the earliest indoor theatres in Korea, and was supported by the Korean Empire from its opening in 1902 until its closing, around 1906.
Changgeuk (Korean: 창극) or ch'angguk is a genre of traditional Korean opera, performed as a but in the Korean folk song style known as pansori. In Korean, “chang” means pansori and “geuk” means drama. Changgeuk represents a fusion of pansori and Western theater/drama, drawing upon elements of both traditions to create a unique and dynamic form of musical theater that reflects Korea's cultural heritage while also embracing global influences. It maintains the narrative storytelling aspect of pansori and incorporates Western storytelling techniques. Changgeuk productions typically involve a large cast of performers who take on the roles of different characters in the story. They combine traditional Korean instruments like the buk (drum) and gayageum (zither) with Western instruments such as the violin and piano, and they make use of elaborate sets, costumes, props, and staging techniques to create the world of the story and enhance the storytelling experience.
Peng Liyuan is a Chinese contemporary folk singer and the wife of Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China.
Hong Hei-Kyung, often known in the west as Hei-Kyung Hong, is a South Korean operatic lyric soprano.
Asheville Lyric Opera (ALO) is a professional, non-profit opera company located in Asheville, North Carolina. Its repertoire encompasses styles ranging from the comedies of Mozart and Rossini to the classic Verdi and Puccini dramas as well as classic musical theatre works. Founder David Craig Starkey served as General and Artistic Director until 2016. The 500-seat Diana Wortham Theatre, built in 1991, has been the company's home since 2001. ALO is a member of Opera America. Dean Anthony was announced as the company's new Artistic and Producing Direction beginning with the 2019/2020 Season.
The Flower Girl is a North Korean revolutionary genre theatrical performance, which was written by the country's leader Kim Il Sung. The performance is considered one of the "Five Great Revolutionary Operas", a group of classical, revolution-themed opera repertoires well received within North Korea. It was also made into a novel. A film adaption of the opera starring Hong Yong Hee was made in 1972.
Youngmi Kim is a South Korean vocalist known for her performance as a soprano opera singer.
Beijing People's Art Theatre (北京人民艺术剧院/北京人民藝術劇院) is a theatre company that was founded in June 1952 by drama master Cao Yu. Since its founding, the company has produced nearly 300 dramas of different styles, from classic Chinese themes to adaptations of Molière. The theater company is under the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and is based in the Capital Theatre in Beijing.
Kim So-hee was an established South Korean traditional singer, designated officially as a human cultural asset in the heritage preservation programme for the folk opera genre pansori, which is fifth on the list of Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Korea. Her real name was Kim Sun-ok (김순옥). She specialized in Chunhyangga. She used Manjeong as a pseudonym, given by a physiognomist; it means to become a master of gugak.
Chinese contemporary classical opera is a musical art form drawing on western opera traditions - distinct from modern developments of traditional Chinese opera.
James Andrew Olds is an Australian bass. He holds a Masters of Music in Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and currently performs with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House.
Koreans have held performances for others since antiquity. The character of these performances has changed over time.
Rame Lahaj is a Kosovar operatic tenor. Among his notable roles are Alfredo, Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), and Rodolfo.
Crezl is a South Korean crossover male vocal quartet formed through the JTBC singing competition program, Phantom Singer 4, which aired in 2023. They officially debuted as a group after advancing to the final round of competition. The name, Crezl, is a portmanteau of the English word "creative" and the Korean word "즐겁다; jeulgeopda" meaning "joyful/fun" to reflect their aspirations to enjoy and create music that displays the unique qualities and personalities of the four members who come from different music genres and share that joy with those that hear their music.
