In the hands of Dasom Baek, traditional Korean woodwind instruments change timbres, evoking fascinating, gripping, and unsettling atmospheres that remind us of the noisy solitude of the modern metropolis. This fall, we have the honor of presenting the acclaimed composer as she performs at ALICE. She brings with her her new album, “Mirror City.”

In her music, the renowned Korean composer Dasom Baek explores the boundaries of traditional music with modern timbres. Baek uses various looping techniques to breathe new life into traditional Korean woodwind instruments such as daegeum, sogeum, and saenghwang. Combined with her own voice, the instruments evoke holistic, multisensory experiences through penetrating loops and dizzying musical phrases. Dasom Baek’s contemporary approach to these traditional instruments can be fascinating, gripping, soothing – and unsettling. Baek’s hypnotic live performance is an almost ritualistic experience, deeply rooted in traditional music, performance art, and avant-garde compositions.

Dasom Baek is not only a composer and musician. She also holds a Master’s degree from the Korea National University of Arts and is currently pursuing a PhD at Seoul National University, where she researches intangible cultural heritage and the power that ancient instruments can have in modern music. As a soloist, she has performed as a Kumho Young Artist and played a concert with the KBS Gugak Orchestra. On her latest album “Mirror City,” Dasom Baek explores ideas of the life-giving communities and noisy solitude of the metropolis, expressed in an incredible way as she bridges tradition and innovation. We look forward to presenting the renowned Korean composer for a very special concert experience at ALICE this fall.