CelloGayageum to make Los Angeles debut at KCCLA

The Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles will host the Los Angeles debut of CelloGayageum on Oct. 23 at Ari Hall, bringing together cello and gayageum in a concert built around nine original works. The performance underscores growing international interest in Korean traditional music fused with Western classical forms.

Why it matters: - The concert puts Korean traditional music in direct dialogue with Western classical performance. - CelloGayageum’s Los Angeles debut adds another U.S. stop to a duo that has built an international profile in Europe and Korea. - The program could broaden local audience interest in hybrid chamber music and contemporary interpretations of Korean sound.

What happened: - The Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles will present CelloGayageum’s Los Angeles debut on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at Ari Hall on the third floor of KCCLA. - The duo pairs the traditional Korean gayageum with the Western classical cello. - CelloGayageum was formed in Berlin in 2016 by Austrian-born cellist and composer Sol Daniel Kim and Korean gayageum player and composer Dayoung Yoon. - KCCLA Director Haedon Lee said the performance offers an opportunity to see how Korean traditional music can evolve through encounters with different musical cultures.

The details: - The Los Angeles program includes nine original compositions and arrangements: Dreamlike Fantasy, An Unusual Cowboy, Fisherman, UT!, Sound of the Ocean, Horizon, Afterlife, Am Kanal and Hanyang. - The set list is designed to highlight the cello and gayageum while exploring contemporary musical expression rooted in Korean traditional sensibilities. - Since forming, CelloGayageum has performed throughout Europe and appeared in Korea through Jeongdong Theater’s 2020 “Cheongchun Manbal” Artist of the Year program, Seoul Namsan Gukakdang’s 2021 “Young Gugak Director” Artist program and JTBC’s Superband 2. - In March 2025, the duo signed with the New York office of IMG Artists. - KCCLA said tickets are available through its website. - KCCLA listed contact information at +1 323-936-7141 and social channels on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.

Between the lines: - The performance is part of a broader trend of artists reworking traditional instruments for new concert settings and cross-cultural audiences. - CelloGayageum’s career path shows how TV exposure, cultural institution support and global management can help niche ensembles expand beyond home markets. - The duo’s framing around East-West exchange is central to the appeal, not just the repertoire.

What's next: - KCCLA’s Oct. 23 concert will test audience response in Los Angeles and could help position CelloGayageum for more U.S. dates. - The duo is likely to keep expanding internationally after its 2025 signing with IMG Artists.

The bottom line: - CelloGayageum is bringing a polished East-West sound to Los Angeles, and KCCLA is using the debut to spotlight a modern path for Korean traditional music.