Pan-tastic: Korean Singer of Tales Meets Jazz

A performance by guest artists Hee-won Park, pansori; Lisa Sung, jazz piano; Tom Knific, bass; and Kevin Dalton-Jones, Bujo (percussion), presented by the Nam Center for Korean Studies.

* Pan is the Korean word for an interactive stage that breaks down the barrier between performers and audience.

Join us for an exceptional musical experience that brings together the vibrant worlds of jazz and Pansori, a traditional Korean form of storytelling music. Both genres are known for their elements of improvisation and active audience participation, making this event a rare and captivating blend of two distinct traditions.

LISA SUNG is an award-winning jazz pianist and educator who received the prestigious John Stites Jazz Award in 2022 for highest artistic development. With a rich performance and recording history, she has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Terell Stafford, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron McClure. Her unique passion for interpreting Asian melodies into jazz is demonstrated in her album Half Moon, featuring traditional Korean children’s songs. Currently an adjunct professor at Calvin University and Aquinas College, Lisa directs Calvin University’s jazz band and co-directs the gospel choir. She recently began her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program at the University of Michigan, earning the Rachem Merit Fellowship. Lisa’s educational background includes studies under Terell Stafford at Temple University and Ron McClure at NYU. Her recent tour, sponsored by JSJA, featured performances in Indonesia, Korea, and Vietnam. Upcoming tours will take her to the Philippines and Stuttgart, Germany in 2025.

HEE-WON PARK is a celebrated Pansori performer and educator, recognized with awards like the Prime Minister’s Award in 2019 and the KBS Gugak Award in 2021. Fascinated by Pansori from the age of four under her grandfather’s influence, she mastered all five traditional Pansori repertoires by her early 20s. Hee-Won holds a B.A. in Korean Traditional Music & Korean Literature and an M.A. in Korean Studies from Ewha Womans University, with ongoing Ph.D. studies in Education. She has been a dedicated member and board director of “Pansori Factory Badaksori,” contributing to various creative works and musicals. Her international performances span the U.S., Japan, Australia, and Brazil. Notable releases include her singles “The Very Best” and “Dance with Me” in 2021. Currently, Hee-Won lectures at Kyung Hee University Graduate School of Education, developing Pansori education programs for diverse groups, including multicultural communities.

TOM KNIFIC has performed with many of the great jazz and classical artists of our time on tour and on record. They include Gene Bertoncini, Billy Hart, Randy Brecker, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Fred Hersch and Joe Lovano. He received the 2016 Musical America Top Professional and Innovators award and received the 2004 Down Beat magazine Achievement in Jazz Education award. Tom has written dozens of works in a variety of idioms and is published by Editions Delatour, Paris, and ISB Publications, Dallas. He is heard on over 30 CDs including four solo projects. Tom is past president of the International Society of Bassists.

KEVIN “BUJO” JONES, a percussionist from Englewood, New Jersey, was steeped in Jazz, Soul, Gospel, Blues, and Pop music from a young age. He began drumming at 10 and toured before finishing high school. At 19, he toured Europe and recorded with Archie Shepp, later joining the Isley Brothers and Whitney Houston. Throughout his career, Kevin has recorded or toured with Jazz legends like Reggie Workman, Hilton Ruiz, and Grady Tate, as well as artists across genres such as Louie Vega and Angie Stone. Since moving to Michigan 8 years ago, he has worked with various local musicians, served as a clinician at several universities, and leads his own group, Tenth World. Kevin also curates music at GRNoir wine and Jazz and is on the faculty at Michigan State University in Jazz Studies and Percussion.