Korean Traditional Musician KIM SO RA
Kim So Ra became a pungmul apprentice at age eight and began serious training under Pungmul Master, Ji-wha Yu who is Jeonbuk Intangible Cultural Property, Jeongeup Nongak. After 20 years of learning and training, Kim became officially certified as the transmission teaching assistant of the cultural property in 2010. Her educational background is also in this particular music style. Kim entered the Korean Music program at Chung-Ang University in Korea on a full scholarship and graduated as valedictorian in 2008. She also received a Master of Music in Korean Music from Chung-Ang University in 2012.
Kim has been known as a prominent young janggu player since her high school days when she received several 1st Place Awards for her janggu solo performance at the national pungmul competitions such as the 5th National Nongak Master Competition in 2003. In addition, she has received 1st Place at major national folk music festivals such as the 6th Gyeonggi (Utdari) Nongak National Competition in 2005, the 11th Bupyeong Pungmul Festival in 2007, the 10th Anseong Baudeogi Pungmul Festival in 2010, and the 10th National Women¡¯s Korean Traditional Music Festival in 2012. These awards demonstrate her widespread recognition as one of the top pungmul players in Korea.
Kim is a founding member of Norikkot, Women¡¯s Traditional Arts Company located in Seoul, Korea, which aims to re-interpret Korean traditional music and to develop a contemporary performance style. Under Kim¡¯s directorship, Norikkot won Communion: New Generation Korean Music Competition Award in 2012 and Myriad Wave Concert Award in 2012.
In 2013, Kim came to the United States to increase her capacity to contribute Korean music across the global and to expand her musical scope, especially with the janggu by collaborating with other musicians in Chicago. Rhythm Connections will feature music collaboration projects that she has created and performed at various events in Chicago, such as the 19th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival. Through this concert, Kim wants to expand the musical capacity of the janggu and promote the internationalization of the janggu by demonstrating how the janggu and its rhythm can be connected with various Western music genres.
As a Visiting Instructor and Artist in Residence in Global Pungmul Institute, Kim is currently teaching Korean rhythms to the youth members of SoriBeat and dedicated to nurturing youth leadership through their participation in pungmul activities. As a co-director she organized a global event called Project Ul-ssi-gu, in which 15 pungmul groups from eight different countries made street pungmul performances in their own cities to celebrate the National Liberation Day of Korea on August 15, 2014.