Music has the power to transcend cultural boundaries and bring people together - and this was evident during a concert at the University of Melbourne in late November featuring traditional drumming performances from China, Korea and Japan.
Organised by the consul-generals from the three countries, the performance took place amid geopolitical tensions between the countries.
Hanil Cheon, the Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Melbourne said the performance was the latest exhibition of cultural exchanges between the countries, a practice dating back more than 3000 years.
“Each of the three countries has developed its own unique culture. In the meantime, consulates from three countries have held events centred on their own culture. This is the first time that consulates from three countries perform together,” Mr Cheon said.
“Through this event, you will be able to look at the similarities and commonalities of the cultures of the three countries, as well as the special differences and originality that each country has."
For Japan’s Consul-General in Melbourne, Kazuyoshi Matsunaga, the performance struck a personal chord.
The performers included the Korean Culture Club SORI, Wadaiko Rindo, and the Australia Dunhuang Arts Academy. Source: SBS
“My great grandmother was from China, and my daughter is learning Korean at school and she is a fan of K-Pop and has visited Korea twice before. My family members, in one form or another, have their own personal connection to China and Korea. This is one of the reasons why I was eager to hold this kind of joint concert,” he said.
“I thought perhaps it is a good idea to hold a sort of cultural exchange events amongst ourselves. Then we said to ourselves, what should we do? When we were thinking about the venue, beyond language, we can strengthen our relationships through music.”
Long Zhou, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne said the city's status as Australia’s “cultural capital” made it the right place to host the concert.
“China, Japan and Korea are close neighbours, sharing many cultural ancestries. We have collaborated in many areas which have been very effective. Now we are trying more in Melbourne.
“While learning from each other and improving themselves, this is a good method to contribute to cultural diversity. During the preparation of this performance, I think we get to each other and the culture better, which is good for further cultural integration.”
Why drumming?
The performance featured drums from the three cultures, which share an intertwined history, according to Min Jung Kim, a director of Korean Cultural Club 'Sori' who performed on the night.
“Chinese and Japanese percussion performances are usually performed using drums. In comparison, ‘Samul nori’, a genre of percussion music that originated in Korea, plays with four instruments.
"The word samul means 'four objects', while nori means 'play'. Each instrument contains a different sound of nature.
“Samul nori contains the joys and wonders of Koreans. I think everybody in our world can excite and enjoy this rhythm. So, foreigners can also breathe and dance together while watching ‘Samul nori’ performances. I think K-pop, which is very popular now, also has the excitement of Korean people. I'm proud of Korean music, which contains the excitement and prestige that we can relate to.”
Mr Matsunaga said it was important to highlight that each culture had its own “unique style” of drumming.
“As a type of Japanese instrument, the Wadaiko cannot just be enjoyed by hearing but, the beats coming out of the drum can be felt by the whole body, especially your stomach. Performance as a team, it is very entertaining as a performing art. We can feel and enjoy Wadaiko in our whole body.”
'Rare opportunity'
Rachel Kim attended the performance with her daughter. She said it presented a rare opportunity for her daughter to observe each style being performed simultaneously.
“I think it is a rare opportunity to see traditional Korean, Japanese, and Chinese performances in one place. I think it was a great opportunity to teach my daughter the Korean culture. She lived in Australia and she didn’t have many opportunities to experience Korean traditional performances here. It was really nice to see Japanese and Chinese performance as well.”
Audience member Sharon Park, 17, hoped that the performance wasn’t a one-off.
“I found that music has tremendous power to bring cultures and people from different countries together. After watching today's performance, I can talk more with my school friends who originally came from Japan and China. We could see the same culture, but we could see the difference as well. It was really interesting.”
Mr Matsunaga said this year’s concert was just the beginning of what promised to be years of collaboration.
“I would like to get actively involved to carry out more events like this to deepen our relations amongst three communities. What I would like to ask everyone is that if you have any ideas, please send us comments and suggestions.”
Mr Zhou said: “We had set up regular meetings to prepare for this performance. This routine will continue, as we are investigating more opportunities.”
