Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 11 AM

Catholic Charities Bayside Senior Center
(221-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside NY 11364)

Tickets: Free

◆ ARTISTS

Songhee Lee, traditional Korean dance artist (QCA New Work Grant Recipent)
Junghi Kim, Gyeonggi folk song singer
Junghee Oh, Singing with 12 string Gayageum
Song Eun Shin, 25-string Gayageum
Hee Jung Han, Haegeum
Ian Jeon, Cello

◆PROGRAM

1. Agony
Along with the sad chanting of a Korean Folk song artist, Gayageum and Cello express the stage of suffering. Among Korean traditional music, "Sinawi" is a complex and subtle piece of music in which the melody of each instrument is intertwined and played without the main melody. Songhee expresses bondage, oppression, anger, and pain in the language of dance.

2. Purification
While overcoming all the suffering from the agony, the performance pursues stillness with a slow and restrained melody. Among Haegeum's original songs, a song called "Jeokneom" refers to thoughts in a calm state of body and mind free from agony. Songhee's slow dance is performed along with it.

3. Freedom
With purification, all suffering is relieved. Finally, the dynamic rhythm of the drum and upbeat melody of Korean Folk songs leads a powerful and healing journey together, once again. Korean Folk songs’ exciting melody combines Cello's jazzy sound and produces a fusion of harmonious music. Audiences enjoy the harmony of Korean folk music and traditional drum rhythm.

2022 QCA New Work Grant recipient, Songhee Lee presents “Together, Again” at Catholic Charities Bayside Senior Center on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 11 am.

"Together, Again" will be performed to celebrate World Senior Citizen's Day of 2022 (August 21). World Senior Citizen's Day was formed by the United Nations in 1990, although it was officially created on a national level in the United States by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Nationally, the idea behind the holiday is to recognize the contributions that seniors make to their communities. On a world level, the holiday raises awareness of the condition of older people and to support them throughout the aging process. Especially when we are in the midst of a pandemic, many senior citizens are isolated and lonely. To comfort their suffering, "Together, Again" will deliver the message of union.

Songhee Lee and Korean artists will also comfort the immigrant communities because hate crimes against AAPI have been happening rigorously since the pandemic started. Not only make the community of youth and seniors of Asian American heritage reunite, but the performance also unites the immigrant communities in Queens by inviting them to experience the beauty of Korean folk music and dance.

For any inquiry, please write to tracyte90@gmail.com.