SE:UM
Korean Folk Meets Jazz
Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
7:00 p.m.
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Gilliam Center for the Arts Black Box Theater
The University of Virginia's College at Wise
1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293
Free and open to the public
W. Campbell Edmonds Concert Series
In 2013, a group of jazz players and Korean traditional musicians started to play jam sessions based on traditional Korean folk melodies and shamanistic rhythms, eventually forming SE:UM. The eclectic quintet is comprised of saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, bassist Jaeha Lee, traditional percussionist Minhyeong Lee, and gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean zither) player and music director Joon Lee. The members of SE:UM have learned to respect one another’s musicalities over the years, and succeeded in breaking down the borders between their musical conventions, finding balance and harmony in their own music.
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In 2015 SE:UM’s debut album was nominated for Best Crossover Album and Best Jazz & Crossover Performance at the Korea Music Awards. They were also selected as a Choice Artist by the two biggest international performing arts markets in Korea, PAMS and APaMM. In the same year, SE:UM made a splash at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving the highest five-star review. Since then, SE:UM has performed around the world from the UAE to the US, and expanded its musical boundaries collaborating with ever diverse partners.
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On this tour they will perform a concert titled Korean Breath: Ten Thousand Waves which includes music from their most recent album, Ten Thousand Waves. Recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the album is based on the Korean folktale about the legendary bamboo pipe that saved the perilous world.
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Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, therefore individuals with mobility issues or general questions are encouraged to call (276) 376-4520 or email the Pro-Art office at pro-art@uvawise.edu. For evolving conditions related to weather cancellations, or similar unforeseen circumstances, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for up-to-date information.
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This engagement of is made possible in part through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Mountain Empire Community College, the Columbus Phipps Foundation, and the Lee County Community Foundation.