Gugak's next evolution? Korean composers expand on traditional music with Western orchestral flavor.

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Gugak's next evolution? Korean composers expand on traditional music with Western orchestral flavor.

Published: 20 Mar. 2026, 05:00 Updated: 20 Mar. 2026, 14:28

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Composers Son Da-hye, left, and Hong Min-woong [NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF KOREA]

When tradition meets globalization, what becomes of the new generation of creators who are tasked with finding a sweet spot between the old and the new? The National Orchestra of Korea takes a shot at giving what could be an answer — the marriage between gugak (traditional Korean music) and orchestral sounds.

The national orchestra is set to present a concert featuring works exclusively by its two resident composers, Son Da-hye and Hong Min-woong, highlighting the evolving sound of Korean orchestral music. Its orchestral series III concert titled “2025 Resident Composers: Son Da-hye and Hong Min-woong” will take place Friday at the Haeoreum Grand Theater in central Seoul.

The concert reflects broader efforts to expand the musical language of gugak following the influence of Western music in the 20th century. Changes in instruments and composition techniques led to the emergence of gugak orchestras that resemble Western-style ensembles.

Son and Hong remain among the few resident composers — composers who work with a specific orchestra for a set period — in Korea across both traditional and Western music ensembles. The National Orchestra of Korea selected them last year as it revived its composer-in-residence program to mark its 30th anniversary. It was the first to introduce the system in the gugak orchestral field from 2016 to 2018.

The concert will feature “Daejeok,” an orchestral piece by Son that musically portrays Korea’s royal palaces, and “Gwiro,” a work by Hong that follows the journey of Princess Bari, a figure from Korean folklore, both composed over the past year in close collaboration with the orchestra.

The orchestra described the works as the result of extensive discussions on themes, structure, notation, instrumentation and performance techniques.

“Writing these pieces was very demanding,” Son said. After their first rehearsal at the National Theater of Korea on March 12, the two composers spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo ahead of their performance on Friday.

“These pieces are about twice as long as my earlier commissioned works, so they took much more effort," Son continued. "Unlike Western music, where I can preview a piece using notation software, I cannot hear gugak music in advance. It’s hard to describe the mix of excitement and nervousness when I hear around 70 musicians perform my work live. Still, I trust the orchestra will deliver a strong performance.”

Composer Son Da-hye [NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF KOREA]

Hong also described his approach to composition in more personal terms.

“I wrote this piece with specific musicians in mind rather than just instruments,” Hong said. “I usually think about the general sound of an instrument like the gayageum [a traditional Korean zither], but this time, I focused on how our orchestra’s lead player actually performs, including their touch and vibrato. Thinking about a real performer’s breathing made the music feel more alive.”

Both composers draw on Korean themes and narratives. Son’s new work “Daejeok” takes inspiration from Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Deoksu Palace — once the centers of power during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Hong’s works “Gwiro” and “Swaeru” draw on Korean folktales, including the story of Princess Bari, a myth about a princess who journeys to the underworld to save her parents, and the tale of Gyeonu and Jiknyeo, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who meet once a year.

Composer Hong Min-woong [NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF KOREA]

Their musical paths also differ from the typical route. Both graduated from general high schools rather than arts high schools, which dominate the gugak field.

Son began studying Western composition before switching to gugak composition at the Korea National University of Arts and later moved into musical theater composition in graduate school.

“I started composing as a hobby in elementary school,” Son said. “I used to record songs I wrote on cassette tapes and give them to friends. I decided to seriously pursue composition in my final year of high school. When I told my parents, they found me a teacher. After I didn’t get into the university I wanted and started preparing to retake the exam, I happened to hear composer Won Il’s piece ‘Bird’ at a concert and decided to switch to gugak composition.”

Despite a later start, both composers built strong careers.

Son won the grand prize at the 42nd Korea National Composition Award and the composition prize at the 2024 KBS Korean Music Awards. Hong rose to prominence through continued collaborations with gugak orchestras following his 2021 work “Color of Time” (translated).

Both composers still feel nervous when their works are performed.

A listening session held on March 6 attended by National Orchestra of Korea resident composers Son Da-hye and Hong Min-woong [NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF KOREA]

“My smartwatch alerts me when my heart rate gets too high,” Son said.

Hong shared a similar experience.

“I even start sweating just watching recordings on YouTube,” Hong said.

The audience response has encouraged them.

“I can feel growing interest in gugak amid the so-called K-everything wave,” Hong said. “At a listening session for our works held at the National Theater of Korea on March 6, 40 tickets sold out in one minute. People from various fields, from computer engineers to dentists, came to hear the composers’ explanations. It made me realize again that choosing gugak was the right decision.

“I hope each piece I write leads to more opportunities. Composer Kim Dae-sung, who is nearly 60, still travels across the country to collect folk songs. I want to follow in his footsteps.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]