Won Il discusses his career over the past decade, including leading the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra and developing Dionysus Robot, getting its UK premiere at K-Music 2025. He outlines his Sinawi-style composing, collaboration across disciplines, use of video and improvisation, Olympic ceremony experience, and the work’s evolving international versions, aiming to energise audiences through ritual, sound, and movement. [Read More]
Musician: Won Il
K-Music Festival 2025: an introduction
As October approaches, it’s time to start looking forward to what has become one of the mainstays of the Autumn cultural calendar: the K-Music Festival. LKL take a look at the acts that we’ll be seeing this October and November. [Read More]
K-music 2025: Won Il’s Dionysus Robot
A contemporary ritual where tradition meets technology Renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Won Il, who inaugurated the very first K-Music Festival in 2013 with the National Orchestra of Korea, returns this year with a daring new work: Dionysus Robot. Inspired by Nietzsche’s philosophy of Dionysus and paying homage to media art pioneer Nam June Paik, Dionysus … [Read More]
LKL at 10 years: the best of the past decade
Well, if you can’t reminisce on your website’s 10th birthday, when can you? Here’s a collection of some of my favourite London memories of the past 10 years (and one or two from slightly further afield). Some of the moments lived up to expectation: a front row seat at a performance by K-pop ballad diva Lee … [Read More]
Review: Kingston Welcomes Korea performances at the Rose Theatre
Kingston Welcomes Korea is hopefully the first of several annual events at which Kingston will seek to welcome various foreign communities in a festival that combines cultural and business interaction. Korea was the obvious first choice to be welcomed in this way, given that ethnic Koreans represent around 10% of the borough’s population, and also given … [Read More]
KWK Performance: The Stem, the Bud, the Bloom and the Seed, 4-5 Aug
This is the KWK performance we’re looking forward to most of all. We’re big admirers of musician / composter / conductor Won Il from his work with Puri, Baramgot, and the National Orchestra of Korea, and our 2013 interview with him can be found here. He is coming over to Kingston two weeks early to … [Read More]
Concert review: National Orchestra of Korea gives K-Music 2013 a triumphant start
The UK debut of the National Orchestra of Korea at the Barbican on 14 June launched the 2013 K-music festival. In his interview with LKL the day before, the orchestra’s musical director Won Il had promised sounds that a British audience had never heard before. And the orchestra certainly delivered on that promise. The 60-piece … [Read More]
The Timbre of Moonlight: Won Il on bringing traditional instruments to a modern audience
In this wide-ranging interview, composer and performer Won Il reflects on his musical journey, Korean traditional sound, percussion and piri, experimental projects like Puri and Uhuhboo, and his vision for the National Orchestra of Korea ahead of its London debut. [Read More]
K-Music: The National Orchestra of Korea at the Barbican, 14 June
The 2013 festival of Korean music starts with a prestigious appearance of the National Orchestra Orchestra of Korea. The orchestra was formed in 1995 and plays modified Korean traditional instruments, performing concerts which combine Korean and Western music in both new and traditional compositions. K-Music: The National Orchestra of Korea Friday 14 June, 8:00PM Barbican, … [Read More]
Fashion, food and music: Korea Shining Bright with Lie Sang Bong at the V&A
It’s not often that an honour guard in Joseon dynasty costume greets you as you enter a London public building. In fact the last time I can recall it happening was at the celebration of Korean food and fashion at the Banqueting House in 2009. And at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 30 July … [Read More]
Concert Notes: All Eyes on Baramgot at the Purcell Room
I had expected the five-piece ensemble Baramgot (바람곶) to provide a solid evening of traditionally folk-inspired Korean music. Having attended a number of traditional Korean music performances before, I had a fairly clear idea of what I was in for, and I was looking forward to it. The 75 minute programme consisted of seven items, … [Read More]
Korean Music Ensemble Baramgot at the Purcell Room
LKL is a great fan of Baramgot, and they return to the South Bank with the added attraction of crossover haegeum player Ccotbyel. Not to be missed. Korean Music Ensemble Baramgot Date: 29 July 2012, 7:45pm Venue: Purcell Room Baramgot return to Southbank Centre led by Won Il, bringing a fresh approach to the mystical … [Read More]
All Eyes on Korea: mark your diaries for the concerts at the end of July
There’s some very special events coming up in a month’s time. Jennifer has raved about Gong Myoung before, and I rave about Baramgot whenever I can, they are so amazing. If the rest of the line-up matches these two acts, you’d be mad to miss any of them. Buy those tickets now. All Eyes on … [Read More]
Festival visit: Jasmine Gwangju
Gwangju seems an event from the distant past, but in fact was only 31 years ago. This year, the archives which document the history of that brief uprising were listed by UNESCO in their Memory of the World register. With perfect timing, bearing in mind the democratic uprisings in the Arab world this year, the … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2010
LKL’s fifth unscientific selection of people and events who have made 2010. Personality of the Year No question about this: Kim Yu-na. Olympic champion, 5th-highest earning female sportsperson globally, ambassador for everything from the G20 to the Catholic Church. I’m sure if she ran for president she’d get elected. Albums of the Year Four LKL … [Read More]
A review of the London Korean Year 2010
LKL tries to sum up the London Korean cultural year. Live music Possibly the most disappointing thing about 2010 has been the number of top-flight Korean musicians who have been passing through London but not stopping to do a sensible gig there. Biuret played at a private industry showcase before heading off to Southampton – … [Read More]