“Show Me The Hyeong”... Gayageum performer Yoo Ha-neul wins Grand Prize

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Gayageum performer Yoo Ha-neul claimed the Grand Prize at “2026 Show Me The Hyeong,” hosted by traditional Korean music content company Kunggi Duck Corporation.

Yoo Ha-neul received the prestigious Grand Prize for her original composition, “Planet Us,” featuring a track by Go Han-dol, a singer and certified master of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Pansori piece “Cheokbyeokga.” Her performance combined Pansori’s aniri (the narrative section sung without melodic ornamentation) and gu-eum (vocal imitation of traditional instrument sounds) with modern soundscapes, presenting a unique interpretation.

Multiple experts praised Yoo Ha-neul’s performance, noting that “her ability to structure the music by layering sounds while preserving the gayageum’s negative space, along with her improvisational skills, was exceptional.”

The Gold Prize went to Ku Gak for his piece “Waryongbongchu.” The work explores themes of untapped potential and possibility, reinterpreting the charm of the Gyeomyeonjo mode in a lively manner by blending traditional Korean music’s characteristic trembling and bending tones with a shuffle-rhythm-based band sound.

The competition attracted applications from approximately 50 teams nationwide until late July last month, with 10 teams advancing to the finals after video review. The finalist teams enhanced the quality of their works through customized mentoring based on Kunggi Duck Corporation’s core educational program, “Alex & Kmu” (Alexander Technique and Creative Movement).

Prior to the finals, the organizers also held a slogan contest seeking “one line that shapes the future of K-traditional music” (58 winners) and a dance challenge set to the Kunggi Duck logo song (11 winning teams), aiming to spark public interest in popularizing traditional Korean music.

In a phone interview with this outlet, Lee Seung-ah, CEO of Kunggi Duck Corporation, stated, “We held this competition based on the value of ‘Hongik Guak’ (), which means ‘using traditional Korean music to benefit the world broadly.’ We focused on discovering fresh talent in traditional Korean music through a mentoring process spanning several months, rather than a single day of competition.”

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original