Today was an exciting day with lots of legitimately fun surprises. Short version: I saw bands from four different countries in Asia (plus the USA), ate incredible food in out of the way places, had a personalized sightseeing experience, and saw more amazing friends. Read on for the full story.

This morning, we started in on clinics. There were too many great options to choose from, but I made it to Joop Boerstoel’s session on programming and a bit of Masanori Fukuda’s look into sound formation in Japanese bands. I had plans to attend some of the Fringe Festival at lunchtime, but a rainy forecast got in the way: all the concerts planned for the Namhan Fortress were moved! But the new location (Porcelain Park) was also accessible by a free tour bus, so I grabbed a friend (fellow New Yorker Malcolm Jones), found a guide, and off we went. This turned into an amazing guided adventure, with THREE young tour guides who got us to the park, found us a delicious, off-the-radar lunch spot, and then were very patient with us as we stayed outside in the humidity (it did NOT rain) watching the relocated concerts.

These began with the Munsang College Symphonic Band from Hong Kong, led by Edith Tam. We heard a chunk of their sound check, including most of the Chaminade Flute Concertino and the beginning of Joe Hisaishi’s Selections from My Neighbor Totoro. We returned from lunch just as their actual concert was ending to thunderous applause – well deserved based on the sound check experience!

They were followed immediately by Sela Yangeum Band, an adult amateur group from Seoul led by Han Gu Kim. They presented essentially a pops concert, kicked off with Sousa’s The Thunderer, and followed with some Abba, Santana, Louis Armstrong, and more. It was a thrill to see these life-long amateur musicians at work!

After a quick stop into the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, we bade our tour guides a fond farewell and returned to the Art Hall for more concerts. We just caught the tail end of the National Chiayi University Department of Music Wind Orchestra, a Taiwanese group conducted by David Shin-Wei Lin. Their concert consisted of:

Rhapsody in Hakka – Ruei-Ran Wu

As Bizarre as Normal – Chen Yi-Chen

Symphonic Suite “Eight New Scenes from Chiayi” – Che-Yi Lee

Dashing in after this concert started, we caught most of the Yi-Chen from the lobby, then heard the Lee from inside the hall. My sources inside had good things to say about the Yi-Chen, praising it for its artistry and colorful writing. The Lee unfolded over several movements, each vividly depicting a scenic spot in Chiayi.

Dinner proved to be another great adventure, this time in downtown Gwangju with some NYC friends. In short, we picked essentially a random restaurant with no English translation at all, and it proved to be SPECTACULAR. The food and the service were excellent, and the staff were incredibly patient and accommodating for us. We even had time to walk through the market before heading back for conference stuff. We arrived back at the Art Hall (thanks to a WASBE shuttle bus and helpful guides) in time to catch another Fringe Festival band, the Seri Puteri Symphonic Winds from Malaysia, led by Raja Muzafar Shah in the Gwangju City Hall Square. This renowned girls’ high school band played a mix of Malaysian folk arrangements and pops fare, including a K-pop song as their finale (I couldn’t begin to tell you which one). It was a truly enjoyable show.

For the final official event, we filed into the Art Hall to see the Central Washington University Wind Ensemble and their conductor, T. André Feagin. They were rapturously received in an ambitious program:

Celebration Overture – Paul Creston

Baekdudaegen: Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble – Jiyoun Chung

Blue Shades – Frank Ticheli (who also conducted!)

“Across the Groaning Continent” from Symphony no. 1 – Jonathan Newman

Sweet Chariot – Carlos Simon

Traveler – David Maslanka

The Creston was quintessentially mid-century modern, with long, angular lines and more than a hint of closeted bitonality. The Chung was in three movements, with an excellent soloist helping to deliver the piece’s message of ongoing turbulence since the Korean War. It started scary and loud before moving on to some truly affecting pastoral music, then returning to new material in novel ways. Ticheli took Blue Shades about as fast as I’ve ever heard it! The Newman for me captured exactly the feeling of living in New York City: constant business and bustle, towering structures everywhere you look, and surprising yet meaningful moments of intimacy. The Simon was gorgeous, and featured a surprise dissonant ending that took my breath away. As with so much Maslanka, Traveler was an extended metaphor for life, starting with bustle and struggle, ending in extended repose as we leave these struggles behind. Despite the quiet ending, the crowd went wild for several minutes after the final vibraphone note faded away.

More to come tomorrow!