Coreyah: Psychedelic Korean Folk
Coreyah taps into an international folk-music vibe with its psychedelic sound.
The Seoul-based band’s freewheeling vision combines traditional Korean melodies and lyrics with a variety of global music elements—Anglo-American rock, funk, Balkan-Romani folk, and South American and African beats.
The band amplifies the customary Korean percussion, flute, and stringed instruments with driving, rhythmic percussion to create traditional Korean Gugak folk-modern rock fusion.
The sextet—Kim Dongkun (daegeum, sogeum, tungso); Ham Boyoung (vocals); Jeong Jun Kyu (percussion, Chulhyungeum); Kyungyi (percussion); Kim Yerim (geomungo); and Ko Jaehyeon (guitar)—made its debut in 2010. The band was featured on an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert in 2020.
The name Coreyah is a Sino-Korean homonym that refers to the inheritance of the past. Translated to Korean, it means “whale,” the group’s totem animal and good luck charm.
support provided by
Penn State Korean Student Association
support provided by
Sandra Zaremba and Richard Robert Brown Program Endowment
support for accessibility services provided by
William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support
Gerald B. M. Stein Memorial Endowment
A Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Performing Arts Global Exchange Grant supports this program.
This event is presented in partnership with Penn State Student Affairs.