A Gathering of Heavenly Sounds from 25 Nations: Pingtung Paiwan Singers Perform at Jeonju World Music Festival

▲ Highlights from the opening ceremony of the Jeonju World Music Festival.

Reported and photographed by Yang Xiaorou, reporter in Jeonju, South Korea

In addition to its long history, South Korea’s Jeonju also takes great care in preserving traditional culture. Its traditional storytelling art form, “Pansori (판소리),” has been listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and is highly valued around the world. Beyond preserving this cultural treasure, Jeonju is also committed to letting people hear the unique traditional music from all over the globe. Each year, the Jeonju World Music Festival (전주세계소리축제) invites musicians from around the world to perform together. Since 2012, it has been ranked among the world’s top 25 best music festivals for four consecutive years by the British music magazine “Songlines.”

▲ The opening ceremony of the 2016 Jeonju World Music Festival brought together performing artists from 15 countries and regions. (Photo by reporter Yang Xiaorou, the same below)

▲ The Korean Traditional Music Center in Jeonju is bustling with the celebration of the Jeonju World Music Festival.

▲ Free outdoor performances of youth traditional Korean music are available during the festival.

This year marks the 15th edition of the Jeonju World Music Festival, which was held from September 29 to October 3. Over five days, 165 performances took place across various locations in Jeonju, featuring famous musicians from 25 countries and regions, coming together to create a world-class musical extravaganza. The opening ceremony included performers from 15 countries and regions, including the United States, China, India, France, Spain, New Zealand, and Taiwan.Among the Taiwanese performers were the innovative theater group “Ping Fong Acting Troupe” (柏优座), which blends tradition with modernity, and the Pingtung Paiwan singing group “Taiwu Ancient Ballads Choir” (泰武古谣传唱).

▲ The performance stage of the Taiwanese group “Ping Fong Acting Troupe,” which fuses tradition with innovation, collaborating with artists from around the world.

▲ The Paiwan singing group “Taiwu Ancient Ballads Choir” from Pingtung also participated in this year’s event.

The opening ceremony of the Jeonju World Music Festival featured not only traditional instruments combined with innovative performances, but also vocal pieces and other regional traditional operas. There were even tap dances synchronized with musical rhythms, making this musical festival not only enjoyable to the ears but also captivating to the eyes. The event concluded with a magnificent choral rendition of the Korean traditional song “Arirang” and the world-renowned hymn “Amazing Grace,” both re-arranged, marking the grand opening of this sound-based art festival.

▲ Posters of the 2016 Jeonju World Music Festival.

2016 Jeonju World Music Festival (전주세계소리축제)
Date: September 29 – October 3, 2016
Venue: Korean Traditional Music Center and 14 cities and counties in North Jeolla Province (For detailed event locations and ticket information, please visit the official festival website)