Standing Rock Cultural Arts' "Around the World" Music Seriespresents~~~Korean pansori: Sugungga (Song of the Underwater Palace)~~~featuring master performer Chan E. Park8:00 p.m., Saturday, March 16, 2019North Water Street Gallery 300 N. Water Street, Suite HKent, Ohio$10 suggested donation (or pay what you can)preceded by 7:30 p.m. meet-and-greet featuring light food and drinks Pansori (판소리) is a unique tradition of story-singing originating in South Korea, in which a solo vocalist, accompanied by a single barrel drum called buk, performs all the roles, as well as the narration. In 2003, UNESCO recognized pansori as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. A longtime professor of Korean language, literature, and performance studies at The Ohio State University, Dr. Chan E. Park (박찬응) is one of the foremost exponents of pansori in North America, and endeavors to create a vibrant engagement between performer and audience (the "pan" 판 in pansori). For her concert, Park will treat audience members to a bilingual performance (in Korean and English) of "Sugungga" (수궁가 / 水宮歌, Song of the Underwater Palace), an ancient fable in which a turtle uses trickery to lure a wily hare to the undersea palace of the Dragon King. The reception will feature sujeonggwa, traditional Korean ginger-cinnamon-persimmon punch, as well as a variety of Korean snacks and pastries, served at no additional charge. About the artist: Dr. Chan E. Park began studying pansori singing in Korea in the mid-1970s, learning from three master performers: Ch’ông Kwônjin (an Intangible Cultural Treasure of South Korea), Sông Uhyang (heir to the rank of Intangible Cultural Treasure), and Han Nongsôn (heir to the rank of Intangible Cultural Treasure), and also studied komungo sanjo, traditional drumming, and drum dance. She has given lectures and performances at numerous university programs, Asian and Korean cultural centers, and museums in the U.S., Korea, and elsewhere around the world. She directs the Lee Korean Performance Research Program at Oho State University, and serves as producer and artistic director of OSU's Annual Korean Wind and Stream Performance Event. Park holds a Ph.D. in East Asian languages and literatures from the University of Hawaii, and has taught at Ohio State University since 1995. As a scholar, she has published widely about pansori and other aspects of the Korean literary and performance tradition. Her more recent activity involves the creation of new bilingual/"pansoritized" plays for stage performance, several of which she has directed at theaters in the U.S. and internationally. Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/769784166736822/ Chan E. Park websites: https://deall.osu.edu/people/park.2274 https://music.williams.edu/events/chan-e-park-korean-pansori/ https://deall.osu.edu/research/faculty-activities/park-recent-performances-p... Video of Chan E. Park performing pansori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzKm8iY79ZU More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugungga * * * * * The North Water Street Gallery is conveniently located just a block north of the intersection of Main and Water Streets in Kent, Ohio, with free street parking on both sides of the street. Seating is limited, so arrive early for the best seats. ---------------- Established in 2015, the "Around the World" Music Series is a concert series presenting outstanding musicians from diverse cultures in an intimate setting. Concerts are held approximately every other month in the new theater space of the North Water Street Gallery in downtown Kent, Ohio. The series is an initiative of Standing Rock Cultural Arts, and is curated by ethnomusicologist David Badagnani. The series is made possible by the support of Drs. Terry E. and Sara Stone Miller and the Ohio Arts Council. Standing Rock Cultural Arts Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/SRCAKent Standing Rock Cultural Arts official site:http://www.standingrock.net/AroundWorldConcertSeries.html http://www.standingrock.net/