Jeonju International Sori Festival
| Jeonju International Sori Festival | |
|---|---|
 Jeonju Int'l Sori Festival logo | |
| Genre | Traditional music, world music |
| Dates | Autumn |
| Location(s) |
 Jeonju, South Korea |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Website | |
| http://www.sorifestival.com | |
| Jeonju International Sori Festival |
|---|
| Jeonju International Sori Festival | |
| Hangul | 전주세계소리축제 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Jeonju Segye Sori Chukje |
Founded in 2001, Jeonju International Sori Festival (전주세계소리축제) is Korea's main event for traditional music and, since 2011, world music. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, Songlines listed Jeonju Sori Festival among the World's Best 25 International Festivals, the only Asian festival in the list.
History and editions
About the 8 first editions:
| Year | Edition | Dates | Site | Performers |
| 2001 | 1 | Oct. 13-21, 2001 | Sori Arts Center | 142 teams, 15 countries |
| 2002 | 2 | Aug. 24 - Sep. 1, 2002 | Sori Arts Center, Traditional culture spaces | 156 teams, 16 countries |
| 2003 | 3 | Sep. 27 - Oct. 5, 2003 | Sori Arts Center, Jeonju Traditional Culture Center | 172 teams, 14 countries |
| 2004 | 4 | Oct. 16-22, 2004 | Sori Arts Center, Chonbuk National University | 190 teams, 14 countries |
| 2005 | 5 | Sep. 27 - Oct. 3, 2005 | Sori Arts Center, across Jeonju | 190 teams, 25 countries |
| 2006 | 6 | Sep. 16-24, 2006 | Sori Arts Center, Jeonju Hanok Village | 184 teams, 22 countries |
| 2007 | 7 | Oct. 6-14, 2007 | Sori Arts Center, across Jeonju | 131 teams, 10 countries |
| 2008 | 8 | Sep. 26 - Oct. 4, 2008 | Sori Arts Center, Jeonju Hanok Village | 280 teams, 16 countries |
2,834 artists from 37 countries performed at the 2013 edition (Oct. 2-6).
- Commissionners: Chun Idoo (2001-2003), Ahn Sook-sun (2004-2008), Kim Myung-gon (2009-2010), Park Kolleen and Kim Hyeongseok (2011-)
- Creative director: Park Je Chun.
Events and program
The Jeonju Int'l Sori Festival is now held every fall in the Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do and in Jeonju Hanok Village, with indoor and outdoor events, Sori Fringe, Sori Festival for Kids (Kidzone), Master Classes of Masters and Master Sori Artists, and other workshops.
All the great masters of gugak (Korean traditional music, for instance pansori, pungmul...) perform in a festival that now welcomes artists from all over the world.
The opening ceremony is broadcast on national television. For the 2013 edition (October 2–6), the opening ceremony celebrated the listing of Arirang as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and was titled after the main lyrics of the song 'Ariarirang Sorisorirang'. It featured such 'sori' masters as Kang Gwonsun(Jeong ga), Kang Hyoju(folk balad), or Bang Su-mi(pansori), but also an orchestra of 30 performers and a choir of 80, Korea's leading jazz vocalist Woongsan, popular singer Ali, Lauren Newton (Germany), Nieves Diaz (Spain), Ellen Wieser (Canada), Antoinette Montague (U.S.A.), Indira Naik (India), Saga Yuki (Japan), Waed Bouhassoun (Syria), Estère (New Zealand)...
External links
Official website: sorifestival.com (in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese).
Coordinates: 35°49′32″N 127°07′55″E / 35.8255°N 127.1320°E