Multi-award winning Korean ritual-folk-pop music group Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) will make their Middle East debut with a virtual show at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 18. The livestream of ADG7’s powerful, engaging performance will provide an immersive dive into the cultural and spiritual experiences of Korea and the positive energy originating from ritual-folk music.
Filmed specifically for The Arts Center at 사성암 (Saseongam), a striking and historic Korean temple, the show is presented in partnership with The Korean Cultural Center UAE as part of The UAE – Korea Cultural Dialogue and supported by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE). It will serve as a highlight of the Korea Festival 2020, taking place from November 1-18, which showcases the diverse culture of Korea and enhances the mutual understanding between the UAE and Korea through various programs, including performances, art exhibitions, and seminars.
This dialogue is particularly relevant in 2020 as the UAE and Korea celebrate 40 years of bilateral relations. In honor of the UAE and Korea’s long relationship, ADG7 include a unique arrangement of the Emirati song “Five Senses”, perhaps best associated with Emirati singer Mehad Hamad, which they premiere as a centerpiece of the concert.
The performance will be preceded by a pre-show conversation where the band will share background and context on their music and traditional instruments and techniques.
Commenting on the upcoming performance Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center at NYUAD Bill Bragin said: “A big interest of my programming for The Arts Center has been in artists who draw inspiration from deep cultural traditions and heritage and connect them with contemporary global approaches, an approach which is equally meaningful in Emirati and Korean culture. We are delighted to premiere this concert by the incredibly charismatic ADG7, who dig deep into folk traditions of Korea, but also embody some of the approaches of K-pop in terms of sophisticated presentation.
While they weren’t able to come to Abu Dhabi in person, we are thrilled they were able to bring the audience to such a stunning location in Korea, as well as create a unique arrangement of a favorite Emirati song, highlighting the power of music to build bridges across cultures. When they wrote to us to explain the choice of location for the performance, ADG7 explained ‘This concert is very meaningful to the band. As it was a special concert for the UAE audience, we hoped that the Korean color would be revealed and that it would be a stage only for UAE people.’”
ADG7 was founded in 2015 on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The group features six Korean traditional musicians and three powerhouse female folk singers who perform the sacred, and secular gut (ritual music) and minyo (folk song) traditions of the Hwanghae-do region, which is now a western province of North Korea. Their music has been described as expressing the true meaning of liberation and South Korea’s desire for reunification.
The group has won multiple international awards, including Best Group at the 2018 KBS Korean Traditional Music Award, and the Sori Frontier Award at the 2017 Jeonju International Sori Festival. ADG7 was spotlighted at WOMEX (World Music Expo) 2019 and globalFEST 2020.
