Samul nori, the South Korean percussion genre with powerful rhythmic forms, has reached international popularity. First created in Seoul in 1978 by a quartet of musicians, samul nori (which translates simply into "four things play") is a neo-traditional musical repertory that has been performed on many international stages by professional ensembles and amateur musical enthusiasts around the world.

Professor Katherine In-Young Lee explores the history and development of samul nori and its importance as a sonic and cultural symbol of South Korea.

 

 

Samul Nori: Dynamic Rhythms from Korea
Thursday, April 22, 2021 | 6 PM (EDT)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Katherine In-Young Lee is Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Her book Dynamic Korea and Rhythmic Form (Wesleyan University Press 2018), explores how a percussion genre from South Korea became a global music genre. It was recognized with the 2019 Béla Bartók Award for Outstanding Ethnomusicology from the ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards. Her articles have appeared in Ethnomusicology, the Journal of Korean Studies, and The Journal of Korean Traditional Performing Arts. Professor Lee received her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Harvard University; M.A. in Ethnomusicology from University of Washington; and dual B.M. degrees in Piano Performance and Musicology from the University of Michigan.

 

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