TeRra Han's New Album, Entry of the 60th Grammy Awards 2018

TeRra Han’s New Album, Entry of the 60^th Grammy Awards 2018

TeRra Han, Korean kayageum virtuoso's New album 'The March of Thousand Years'

Kayageum, beloved 100% 12 silk stringed Instrument of Korea

TeRra Han plays traditional court music as a solo version transmitted 6 Century’s music of Shilla Dynasty

The album submitted the entry of the 60^th Grammy Awards 2018

Korean Kayageum virtuoso TeRra Han, South Korea’s representative musicians has released of her 11th album 'The March of Thousand Years'. The music is Korean traditional court music for solo kayageum, and it is distributed in Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play, Spotify and any others digital flat forms. Gracefully, the album is also submitted 60^th entry of Grammy Awards 2018 in World Music category very rarely as a traditional solo part of Asian traditional musical instruments.

Kayageum is the most widely be loved instrument for the beautiful and elegant sounds of itself among Korean people. The instrument is made of natural 100% 12 silk strings and woods that have been passed down since the 6th century. Also, as one of the most representative Asian zither instruments, it shares the origin with Chinese Guqin, Guzheong, Japanese Koto, Mongolian Yatga et.c. in any other areas. Currently three types of kayageum are transmitted, traditional court kayageum made in the 6th century, the Sanjo kayageum for the folk music created at the late 18th century, and the modern kayageum made in the 20th century.

The album ‘The March of Thousand Years’ is the final edition of court music series of TeRra Han’s  recording as a solo kayageum  version. Originally Korean court music is played in Orchestration. Ms. TeRra Han started recording of solo kayageum album at 2015, she completed all repertoires of Korean traditional court music for the first records of kayageum music. The album is consist of 7 tracks of which one of Korean music forms ‘Dodeuri’ and ‘Prayer for millennial happiness named Cheonyeon Manse. Track 6, Yancheong Dodeuri  is the fastest piece in Korean court music and the ‘Dodeuri’ means ‘Repetition’ in Korean language would be comparable also as likely to ‘Canon’ in Western classical music.

TeRra Han (1981 ~, Seoul) has known well as a music prodigy in Korea, and has been developing a distinctive manner of her own with authentic Asian music world. Originally her ambition was to become a pianist. She started music first piano at the age of 4, winning a national competition of Korea, and composing at the age of six. As an encouragement of her mother, she was introduced to the Korean traditional music at the age of six, she astonished her surroundings for mastering of 3 major schools of kayageum Sanjo in her teens. Usually, one kayageum player masters one kayageum school for his  or her whole life, as well as, she pioneered her skills in combine as a dance, kayageum, and traditional vocal singing. She graduated from Gugak National Middle and High School (the premier National Korean music school for teens) and earned bachelor’s,  master's degrees and completed doctoral course (D.M.A) from Seoul National University. She studied composition under Sukhi Kang, a pioneer of modern composer of Korea.

Extraordinarily, she trained other Asian traditional performing arts forms with maestro of each countries such as Japanese Ikutaryu Sokyoku (Koto and Shamisen) under  Ando Masateru in the Tokyo University of the Arts dance, and Guzheng and Guqin under Zhow Wang in China Central Conservatory of Music, especially she acquainted also North Korea’s music traditions with Xingsan Jin, National Intangible Heritage of China at Yanbian University. She is also a student of Daisy Paradis, Indian Sitar master of New York City.

Ms Han made her international debut at the 2008 San Francisco International Arts Festival. She has been breaking through any kind of barriers with her passion of art and as a star performer in Asian authentic music world. She is continuing also collaboration with various artists such as in Japan, France and any others.  In addition, to get more discoveries and refine sounds, she has been researching on acoustical and scientific research on Asian musical instruments in conjunction with the Department of Acoustics of Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT).

 In 2010, She was selected the first grantee of Ralph Samuelson Fellow, Asian Cultural Council of the Blanchette Rockefeller Found as the first beneficiary of kayageum and has been inactive in New York. In 2015, she had a Carnegie Hall debut as the youngest Korean musician to celebrate 125 years of Carnegie Hall. She released more than 10 solo albums and in April of 2016, she was admitted voting member of Grammy Awards as few Asian musicians. In February, she launched the music magazine ‘TeRra’ in New York.

Gomi Yoji , a prominent journalist of Tokyo Shimbun (Tokyo Times ) noted her that ‘Bridging Asia with music’. She claimed as a ‘Moving Work of Art’ after collaboration with musicologist Robert Provine (Emeritus Prof. Maryland University) and American composer John Zorn praised her artistry. Her memoir ‘Girl genius TeRra’ written and published by The Korea Times, English edition will be published in October following her composition album of Viola and Piano Code series. She is currently living in Manhattan. (www.terrahan.com)

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