East Asian Evening | zamus: early music festival 2026

Utopia of the Moment – Korean music and dance traditions

Yunhee Choi – Korean dance

You Jin Sung – Gayageum

Sol-I So – singing and vocal improvisation

Bo-Sung Kim – Korean percussion

Prélude à l’après-midi au Japon – 19th-century music from Japan and Europe

Shunske Sato – violin, conductor

Naoko Kikuchi – koto

Detlef Haberland – presenter

An East Asian evening at the Museum of East Asian Art! In a new composition, the GaMuAk ensemble expands Korean music to include a choreographic dimension with traditional dance. This creates a new language, deeply rooted yet open to movement, change and interpretation. Following this, the PastForward Ensemble, led by violinist Shunske Sato and featuring koto player Naoko Kikuchi, will present works from Japan and Europe, including compositions by Michio Miyagi and Claude Debussy. In the museum’s unique atmosphere, this evening invites you on a journey of discovery for the eyes, ears and palate.

In collaboration with the Museum of East Asian Art and with the support of the Japanese Cultural Institute Cologne, sponsored by the Nomura Foundation.

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Korean traditional music and dance
18:40–19:00 Concert introduction

19:00–20:00 Concert Utopia of the Moment

20:00–20:30 Culinary interlude

20:30–21:30 Concert Prélude à l’après-midi au Japon

€35 / €25 each plus booking fees, including tea and an onigiri (vegan options available)

Tickets available online via zamusfestival.de and zamus.de, by telephone on +49 221 9874 38 21 (Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00–14:00) and in person at the Neumarkt theatre box office (Mon–Sat 10:00–18:30, Ticket hotline +49 221 42 07 6000 or via tickets@theaterkasse-neumarkt.de)

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