Pungmul and Samulnori | Chicago, Illinois
Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC) is a cultural and educational 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. KPAC is the leading Korean cultural arts group in metropolitan Chicago, reaching an ethnically diverse, multi-generational audience of 50,000 annually. KPAC has seven professional musicians from Korea to secure the quality of performance and education. KPAC runs the youth pungmul ensemble, SoriBeat. SoriBeat is the winner of the 2014 and 2017 International Korean Traditional Performing Arts Competition held at the University of Chicago. SoriBeat is the recipient of the Young Emerging Leader Award given by the Illinois Governor in 2017.
KPAC is led by Korean traditional performing artist, Suwan Choi who has been performing and teaching Korean traditional music for more than 20 years.
Since making Chicago his home in 2015, Choi has established himself as a leading practitioner of Korean drumming, performing at Harris Theater, Millennium Park, the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival, as well as venues such as universities and cultural events across the U.S. Formally trained in Korean traditional performing arts, Choi specializes in the drumming tradition called pungmul and samulnori.
His experiences as an active percussionist and cultural bearer of Korean traditional music in Chicago have opened up his eyes to diverse musical traditions from around the world he later decided to pursue graduate studies in world music at NIU and was awarded a master’s degree in 2021.
Choi currently serves as the Artistic Director for the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago, a leading Korean cultural arts group in metropolitan Chicago that reaches an audience of 25,000 annually.