The Gyeonggi Sinawi Preservation Society will present its regular concert, “Bonak,” which highlights both the origins and contemporary legacy of Gyeonggi Sinawi — an improvisational ensemble tradition rooted in shamanic ritual.
The title “Bonak,” meaning “the original music,” signals the program’s intent to trace where Gyeonggi Sinawi began and how its rhythms, melodies and performance practices have been carried forward.
Sinawi grew out of Korean gut rituals, the shamanic ceremonies in which musicians improvised together within shared rhythmic cycles. Rather than following fixed notation, performers respond to one another in real time, weaving melodies through listening, breath and instinctive interplay.
Gyeonggi Sinawi, which developed around Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province, is known for a refined sense of rhythm, a restrained melodic flow and flexible phrasing. Instruments such as the piri, daegeum, haegeum, ajaeng and janggu each unfold independent lines while contributing to a cohesive musical current.
The program includes six pieces: “Daepungryu,” “Taepyeongmu,” “Chwita Pungnyu,” “Salpuri,” “Gyeonggi Sinawi” and the samulnori finale “Ak.”
The opening piece, “Daepungryu,” sets an elegant tone and demonstrates the rhythmic elasticity typical of Seoul–Gyeonggi music. It is followed by “Taepyeongmu,” a dance that invokes peace and prosperity through measured, controlled movement.
“Chwita Pungnyu” spotlights the ceremonial force and sonorous power of Korea’s wind instruments, while “Salpuri” channels deeply held emotion with flowing white scarves and slow, deliberate breathing.
The centerpiece, “Gyeonggi Sinawi,” foregrounds spontaneous communication among the players. Instead of a fixed structure, musicians create momentary dialogues by answering each other’s phrasing and rhythmic cues.
The finale, “Ak,” closes the evening with the explosive energy of samulnori percussion — kkwaenggwari, jing, janggu and buk. Where earlier pieces emphasize melodic depth and breath, the final sequence expands into driving, percussive vitality.
The concert will take place on May 13 at 7 p.m. at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang Crown Haitai Hall.
Reported by News Culture, M.J. (mj94070777@nc.press)
