What is Korean Art Song (K-Art Song) ?

K-Art Song (Korean Art Song) is a genre in which Korean poetry is translated into vibrant music. These songs bring individual and collective narratives to life through lyrical composition with voice and piano, which is further expanded and experimented with through diverse instrumental arrangements.

Composers employed diverse techniques to convey both personal and collective memories within these turbulent historical contexts. While rooted in the classical art song tradition, recent composers in Korea and around the globe have begun blending popular sensibilities into Korean Art Songs—bridging generations and expanding the genre’s reach to wider global audiences.

K-Art Songs often carry deep emotions of consolation, hope, resilience, and compassion for humanity: the universal human spirit—the shared moral and emotional capacity that transcends time and place. Vibrant stories of ordinary people—encompassing universal human experiences such as family, love, and everyday life—are deeply embedded in K-Art Song, fostering empathy and conveying a resonance that transcends nations and borders.

  Prologue, written by Yoon Dongju , “Heaven and Wind and Star and Poems” (1948)

Baritone Geon Kim singing K-Art Song Prologue written by Yoon Dongju, composed by Youngju Jung

Theory of Change: Korean Art Song (K-Art Song)

Transforming Korean Poetry into Vibrant Narratives through Music

Originating during the Japanese colonization period and influenced by Western music, particularly the hymn tradition introduced by missionaries, K-Art Song continued to expand its resonance in the post-Korean War period, embracing rich and layered narratives that reflect the historical experiences. 

We use the stories and poetry embedded in Korean Art Song as our underpinning theory of change.

We see Korean Art Song as a transformative medium for bridging cultural narratives, with the purpose of foster intercultural understanding and empathy, in turn leading to community-building and solidarity across many lived experiences.

Dream road to home and Peace: Building cultural-Soldidarity together