Quill Culture

The sun begins to set and the music begins. On a Friday evening of May, a group of people gathered at a house in Yeonhui-dong for what is known in the music industry as the ‘House Concert.’ Filling the spacious second floor, the people at this particular event were there for the performance of Taehyoung Kim, the prizewinner of recent Long-Thibaud International Competition.
Based on the idea of close audience-musician interaction, live performances in houses have grown steadily as a trend. This concept of ‘house concert’ probably takes root in the 17th century when European musicians performed for kings, queens and other royalty at their province. During this period, wealthy people called patrons gave financial support to artists in their musical performances. Apparently in the 18th century musicians became independent, untied themselves from the upper-class patronage. The status of musicians began to rise, and the musical public grew in size. Hosting a private concert in a home became more common towards the end of the century. Social changes also further prompted the spread of the ‘salon concert’, a gathering of musicians and music lovers in the salons of a middle class home. Mendelssohn’s family was known to give Sunday morning concerts where Liszt would attend and perform sometimes. These ‘salon concerts’ evolved into an event where great musicians rubbed shoulders with each other. It also provided precious moments for the audiences as well as the composers, for they have never been in such close distances before.
Nowadays the definition of a ‘house concert’ is flexible, a show that"s presented in a nearby private space such as backyard, club, cafe you name it, but is generally taken as a concert presented in someone"s home. In Europe and in the United States, house concerts are widespread. Sometimes in the U.S, the artists get a meal and also lodging as part of the compensation for his performance. In Korea, house concert is yet unfamiliar; only about ten of them are presented.
One of the hosts of these house concerts, a composer and a pianist Chang Soo Park, regularly brings music into his house, creating wonderful memories for people. Often, house concerts are conducted by “individual invitation” only, and have a reputation for being an “elite entertainment” compared to "public" performances held at the concert hall. However, Park has included some amazing popular non-classical musicians like Bora Gene, Byeong Woo Lee, Kangsaneh, and Harim in his concerts as an effort to make house concerts more familiar.
The Quill interviewed him to get further information about the house concerts from the inside:

Interview with Park Chang Soo
Quill: Please tell us how the concert started.  
Park: I first thought about this concept in 1981, when I was in Seoul arts high school. I went to my friend’s house to practice and I was deeply moved by how lovely a melody floating over a silent house can be. I couldn’t forget the impression, and since then I always wanted to do this. I started to organize my plans in 2001. It was the first public house concert in Korea. I sent out e-mail announcements to 100 people for the first house concert in July, 2002. Now about 5000 people are on the email list.
Quill: Did you have any difficulty hosting the concerts?
Park: Not that much, except for the fact that I reached a large amount of deficit per year at first. It still is “The concert of red-ink.” Half of the money collected from the tickets goes directly to the artist, the other half for preparing the receptions. This isn’t for profit, that’s for sure. I do this purely for the love of music.
Quill: Tell us how the concerts are arranged.
Park: At first my fellow musicians were instrumental in helping me arrange the concerts. Folks who have seen the concerts bring company the next time and make a sort of “Word-of-Mouth marketing.” Now sometimes musicians contact us first and ask for performance. Some of the artists came as accompanists or audiences at first, be mesmerized by charming house concerts and decide to perform themselves in the future. Taehyoung Kim also came as a collaborative pianist at first. Most of the working staffs here also came as an audience and now some are employed in the stage management agencies. We already have several more concerts scheduled until June, 2009.
Quill: What distinctive characteristics does a house concert have?
Park: First of all, direct interaction. It’s the missing “stage” that makes house concert special. House concerts are a means of interacting directly with the music fans. In this intimate environment, people feel comfortable and they can even get the stories hidden behind the music. Also, instead sitting on chairs, people watch the show on the floor. A peal of vibration comes through the wooden floor, making it possible to feel music not only with your ears but with the whole body of yours. I’m trying to create an environment where people can really enjoy and focus on the music. We also enjoy getting to know some of the artists we present by having them stay with us after the performance for a wine party. A lot of artists appreciate this, too.

Park created a stage at the second floor full of books and recordings. After an introduction including brief information about live recordings of house concerts, the musician of the day came up the stairs and greeted the audience with a smile. “Comfort” was Kim’s response when the Quill asked him to define house concert in a word. “House itself is a symbol of coziness, and performers can naturally forget about the stage fright.”

40 to 50 people can fit into the second floor quite comfortably, but recently, a crowd of approximately 180 people showed up for a duo recital by pianist Sunwook Kim and violinist Hyukjoo Kwon making it a so called ‘sauna concert’. The performance is usually two 30-40 minute sets, with a 10 minute break in the middle, to allow people to stretch, and take a look around the house and refresh themselves at the balcony. After the concert, Park set up a table in a side room of his house for serving ice-tea, wine and munchies. Park, as a musician himself must be sympathetic with musician’s desires to know their listeners better. At this wine party time, listeners can chat with the performers and get the chance to have their autographs and ask about anything. For individuals wanting to be involved more in the music community, it"s a great way to meet folks of same minds. This wine party is one of the key elements that makes house concerts more attractive. "I like music and the atmosphere in Park"s house. It has a warm and friendly atmosphere, such a wonderful way for people to hear music that they might otherwise not know about," One of the audiences said with delight.

The value of music is best measured by memories. House concerts are the best way to enjoy live music today. What could be more memorable than talented artists performing in the comfort of the house? And which concert can be more “live” than seeing drops of perspiration from the musician? The house concert is here to create meaningful concert experiences for both audiences and worthy artists. House concerts are open to anyone interested in music. People who come here are mostly lovers of music, not professional artists. As an audience in a house concert, you’ll never be intimidated by the useless “exclusive air” that big public concerts sometimes have.
If interested in attending a house concert, upcoming house concerts are posted on Park’s Web site http://freepiano.net. The site also includes photos and short video clips of the past performances. All tickets are 20000won. (10000won for high school students)