Choi Soo-young, Kim Hyun-jung, Yang Ha-young, and Park Jun-byeong, active on domestic and international stages, unfold a unique ensemble on a single pipe organ
Cho Jae-hyuk's pipe organ moves to ballet... Six dancers complete 'sound and movement'
From a forest of meditation and Odyssey exhibitions to workshop experiences... Bucheon Art Center Universe
Bucheon Art Center (CEO Park Eun-hye) will host <Sound BAC, Organ Universe of> over the Hangeul Day holiday from Friday, October 9 to Saturday, October 10. Organists Choi Soo-young, Kim Hyun-jung, Yang Ha-young, and Park Jun-byeong will play a single pipe organ together, while pianist and organist Cho Jae-hyuk's performance will be accompanied by the movements of six ballet dancers. In addition, the two-day event will allow visitors to see, hear, and feel the pipe organ throughout the entire Bucheon Art Center through programs such as , where visitors can relax while listening to pipe organ music, and , where they can play the organ directly and experience sound visually.

“Organists become docents”… Organ Universe with four prominent Korean representatives

Opening the festival, is a tour-type performance where four of Korea's representative organists personally serve as guides for the audience. Held at the concert hall a total of four times—at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on October 9 and 10—it takes about 50 minutes to explore the space and pipe organ of Bucheon Art Center following actual performances and demonstrations. The principles hidden behind the giant exterior of the pipe organ are explained through a child's perspective. Through actual performances, the artists demonstrate how pipes produce sound through a principle similar to a recorder, how to use both hands and feet simultaneously, and how using multiple manuals and stops can create everything from the buzzing sound of a bee to a grand resonance reminiscent of the universe.

Choi Soo-young expressed it, saying, "It is like thousands of recorders singing simultaneously." In particular, this performance brings not only the instrument but also "sound created by space" onto the stage. The concert hall's devices, such as acoustic reflectors and banner curtains, are physically moved to compare spatial changes, directly letting the audience hear how the space of Bucheon Art Center and the pipe organ complete a single resonance. Choi Soo-young explained, "A pipe organ is an instrument that exists together with the acoustic environment of a space. The space is essentially the instrument's soundboard." A special event is also prepared where child audiences can step directly onto the stage to "awaken" the giant pipe organ.

“The organ will probably be overwhelmed by the performers, right?”… An ensemble created by 8 hands and feet

Unlike typical recitals performed by a single organist, a scene where two or four performers play a single pipe organ together is a highlight of this performance. Expanding the performance format from solos to duo performances and a four-person ensemble, it shows how multiple manuals, pedals, and different timbres merge into a single piece of music.

The sight of four performers taking on different keyboards and parts to create a single breath resembles a small orchestra. Park Jun-byeong expressed his expectations for the ensemble, saying, "With as many as eight hands and feet playing the organ, the organ will probably be overwhelmed by the performers, right?" Yang Ha-young also expressed her hope that through this festival, the pipe organ will be remembered not as a difficult and unfamiliar instrument, but as "an instrument close to us that anyone can comfortably listen to and enjoy."

When Cho Jae-hyuk plays, 6 dancers move… Expanding from 'music to be heard' to 'music to be seen'

On October 10 at 7 p.m., <Finale Ballet Concert, Organ with>, featuring pianist and organist Cho Jae-hyuk and six ballet dancers, will unfold in the concert hall. It is a stage that expands "music to be heard" into "music to be seen" by adding the movements of ballet over the grand resonance of the pipe organ. Offering all seats at 10,000 won, it has gained an enthusiastic response from audiences, selling out early.

Cho Jae-hyuk, who spans both piano and organ, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School and his doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music, performing on major world stages such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Elbphilharmonie. He has consistently collaborated with other art genres such as magic as well as ballet, and continues his musical world as an organist by recording an organ solo album at La Madeleine in Paris. Part 1 of the performance will intensively showcase the diverse timbres and scale of the pipe organ itself through Cho Jae-hyuk's performance, while Part 2 will combine highlights of masterpiece ballets with the pipe organ.

Through the process of newly hearing ballet music—previously familiar through orchestras—through the color of the pipe organ, and that melody leading into the gestures of six dancers, the performance shows another possibility of the instrument. The ballet stage is led by Ballet Director Hwang Hae-min, who served as a principal dancer at the Universal Ballet for 15 years. Including balletino Kim Hee-hyun, a former soloist with the Korean National Ballet, six dancers will breathe with Cho Jae-hyuk's pipe organ melody to complete a grand finale where sound and movement intersect.

Hear, play, and create… ‘Organ Universe’ expanding beyond the concert hall

The ways to experience the pipe organ also extend outside the concert hall. In unfolding in the small concert hall, visitors are offered time to linger and rest while appreciating pipe organ music. At the gallery's , visitors can encounter an interactive exhibition where pressing physical organ keys recognizes the played notes and unfolds graphics of the same family onto real thread curtains. It is a unique experience where the sound of the organ heard through the ears expands into visual images right before the eyes.

In Art Studio's <MUSIC & STITCH>, various workshop experiences using the organ as a motif add the joy of creating things directly with one's hands. From listening to music and resting, to pressing keys directly to encounter sound visually, to experiences of making things by hand. Across Bucheon Art Center, visitors can meet the pipe organ in different ways to complete a single 'Organ Universe'.

Detailed information regarding ticketing and participation methods for the grand <Sound BAC, Organ Universe of>, as well as special events and sub-programs running during the festival period, can be found through the Bucheon Art Center website (www.bac.or.kr) and official social media channels.

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