Students from Hanyang University, one of the leading private research universities of South Korea, will be sharing the time-honored musical traditions of their homeland with Sonoma County and the students and faculty of Sonoma State University during a two-day visit to campus in August.
The cultural exchange will culminate on Tuesday, Aug. 21 with a public performance of traditional Korean music at Sonoma State’s Weill Hall at the Green Music Center at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. Students with valid ID are free.
The South Korean delegation, led by Hanyang University President Young Moo Lee, will include the dean and three professors from the university’s College of Music along with other faculty, administrators and 22 students from the Hanyang Department of Korean Traditional Music. This event was preceded by a visit by 10 Hanyang executives to Sonoma State in August 2017 where a partnership between the two universities was forged.
“We are so honored that they are visiting campus for the second time, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with Hanyang University,” said Sonoma State University President Judy K. Sakaki. “I am particularly excited that Hanyang students will be gracing us with their orchestral performance this time.”
“I am so overwhelmed with the fact that Korean traditional music performances are to be held at this beautiful Green Music Center for the first time,” said Hanyang University President Young Moo Lee. He said the event will blend “the beauty of Korean music and Sonoma's wonderful nature” and provide an opportunity for “dreaming of a beautiful future” for the two universities.
With its main campus based in the capital city of Seoul, Hanyang is a private research university with 24,400 undergraduate students and 8,250 postgraduates. Founded in 1939 as a school of engineering, the university now has 22 colleges and 19 graduate schools and is widely respected for its research programs in biological sciences, natural sciences, medicine, natural resources and other fields.
The visit will include a tour of the Green Music Center on Monday, Aug. 20 followed by a rehearsal that will include time for interaction with Sonoma State music students. Tuesday will include a delegation visit to campus and interactions with university leaders followed by the 90-minute performance at Weill Hall that evening. Tickets are now available by visiting gmc.sonoma.edu.