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Organ Meets Korea’s Saenghwang: Classic Busan Presents Shin Dong-il & Kim Hyo-young Duo Concert

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Classic Busan, headed by Park Min-jung, will present the Summer Organ Series: Shin Dong-il & Kim Hyo-young Duo Concert tomorrow, August 28, at Busan Concert Hall.

In late summer, with the heat still lingering, the cascading sound of the organ offers the perfect way to sweep away the summer heat. Adding to it will be the gentle resonance of the saenghwang, a traditional Korean instrument. The duo concert by Shin Dong-il and Kim Hyo-young, masters of these two instruments from East and West, promises audiences an unusual yet unforgettable summer evening.

The saenghwang is the only traditional Korean instrument capable of producing chords. It consists of multiple pipes inserted into a wind chamber and produces sound as the performer breathes in or out through the instrument.

Shin Dong-il, a professor at Yonsei University, is one of Korea’s leading organists and a Grand Prix winner of the Chartres International Organ Competition. Kim Hyo-young is one of Korea’s foremost saenghwang performers, continually pursuing new creative works and experimentation rooted in the identity of the traditional instrument while introducing the saenghwang’s potential to audiences around the world.

The Chartres International Organ Competition in France is regarded as one of the world’s leading organ competitions, and Shin Dong-il won its Grand Prix in 2006. Interestingly, organist Benjamin Righetti, who performed at Busan Concert Hall on August 21, was also a prizewinner at the competition, receiving the Audience Prize. This means that two laureates of this prestigious competition are taking the stage at Busan Concert Hall just one week apart.

At this concert, Shin Dong-il and Kim Hyo-young will showcase the diverse appeal and distinctive harmony of the two instruments through Western organ masterpieces and new works by Korean composers. Before the performance, a pre-concert talk featuring the performers and Song Hyun-min, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Auditorium, will offer audiences an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the music.

Although the organ and saenghwang differ in origin and scale, they share a fundamental similarity: both produce sound by sending air through pipes. Shin Dong-il and Kim Hyo-young already made a striking impression with the release of their 2021 album Pung·Geum, making their exceptional musical chemistry something audiences can look forward to once again.

In the first half of the concert, Professor Shin Dong-il will perform major Western organ works by composers including Bach, Schumann, Widor, and Tournemire, offering a rich exploration of the organ’s appeal. In the second half, Shin Dong-il and Kim Hyo-young will perform works for organ and saenghwang composed by Korean composers including Park Kyung-hoon, Moon Sung-hee, and Choi Myung-hoon.

Tickets are available through the official Classic Busan website at https://classicbusan.busan.go.kr. For further information, contact Busan Concert Hall at 051-640-8888 or 051-640-8822.

Park Min-jung, head of Classic Busan, said, “We look forward to the harmony and contrast created by the traditional Korean saenghwang and the Western pipe organ. We hope this will provide Busan residents with an opportunity to experience new music and find both enjoyment and inspiration.”