This summer, a group of Delta State University music students and faculty will have the unique opportunity to complete an international exchange in Busan and Gyeongju, South Korea.
From May 28 to June 4, a group of 11 students and four faculty members of the DSU Department of Music will visit Korea to present recitals in collaboration with musicians of Korean traditional music, visit arts schools and cultural heritage sites, and experience traditional Korean music. The music exchange program will be hosted by CloudPoseidon, a performance group in Busan.
In support of the trip, the student participants will present a benefit concert at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Grenada, Mississippi on April 22 at 3 p.m. The concert is open to the public and donations are accepted. All donations will support costs of the trip.
Those wishing to make contributions in support of the students are asked to mail donations to: DSU BOX 3256, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS 38733, indicating the donations are for “2018 Trip to Korea.”
For more information on making donations, contact the Department of Music at 662-846-4615.
Dr. Jung-Won Shin, associate professor of music at Delta State, is organizing the trip.
“Our students will benefit from the music and cultural exchange with CloudPoseidon musicians, the contemporary repertoire for Western and Korean traditional instruments, and the history and instruments of Korean traditional music, comparing them with the ones of Western music,” said Shin. “I believe that this musical and cultural exchange opportunity will enable our students to broaden their knowledge and perspective on diverse music, culture and people.”
Dr. Karen Fosheim, chair of the Department of Music, is thrilled to send the Delta State delegation to Korea.
“I am so proud to have this talented group of students and faculty representing Delta State and the Department of Music in South Korea,” said Fosheim. “The opportunity to interact and make music with colleagues from across the world is an experience that enriches the lives of all involved. I am grateful to Dr. Shin for the work she has done to organize the ongoing Korean partnerships and exchanges.”
Amanda Lutz, a flute player and music major from Horn Lake, Mississippi, is looking forward to the international exchange.
“I am thrilled with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel and perform, and to experience a wonderful culture,” said Lutz. “We will have the privilege to collaborate with fantastic musicians from around the world.”
“I am expecting to learn a lot about the Korean people and their culture,” she added. “This will benefit us as teachers. The more insight we have on different cultures will help us as teachers in our future classrooms.”
In September 2017, the DSU Department of Music hosted an exchange program with three musicians of Art & Culture Agency CloudPoseidon and Sori Soop, a performance group in Korea, on Delta State’s campus.
The exchange program included a student joint recital in collaboration with Young Hye Min, who is a Delta State piano student, and a guest artist recital by Dr. Jiyoon Kim, a certified apprentice of Korean National Intangible Cultural Heritage 46 Piri Jeongak & Daechwita. This was in collaboration with Delta State music faculty members. Other activities included a workshop for the DSU Woodwind Ensemble, a lecture on Korean traditional music and instruments at music convocation, and a class taught by professor Michelle Johansen, Woman & Gender.
Delta State students, faculty and the local community were able to experience the unique sounds and structures of the Korean traditional instruments and music, and learn the history of Korean traditional music through the exchange program.
In return, the Delta State delegation traveling to Korea in May has been invited to perform and participate in the music exchange program hosted by CloudPoseidon in Busan. This Delta State group will present recitals in collaboration with musicians of Korean traditional instruments and participate in a Korean instrument workshop by Dr. Kim, and visit arts schools in Busan, Korea.
They will also experience Korean traditional arts and culture through concerts and tours during their visit, and will share this cultural learning experience with the Delta State faculty, students and community through presentations and further exchange activities with CloudPoseidon on Delta State’s campus.
The exchange program with musicians of CloudPoseidon and Sori Soop is sponsored by the Delta State Department of Music, College of Arts and Sciences, Quality Enhancement Plan, Graduate and Continuing Studies, and International Student Services at Delta State.
Delta State’s Department of Music has developed multiple relationships with Korean institutions in recent years. The department initiated a partnership with Sungkyul University (SKU) in Anyang, Korea, by co-organizing the Piano Exchange Program with the piano department of SKU, both on the Delta State campus in January 2017, and on the SKU campus in Korea in May 2017.
The department also initiated a partnership with Korea International Christian School (KICS) in Bucheon and Incheon, Korea, in the summer 2016. Currently, five students from KICS are enrolled in bachelor degree programs at Delta State. More students from KICS will join Delta State this fall.
For more information about the trip, contact 662-846-4615.
