The Korean Cultural Society of Boston
한미예술협회
Korean Art Song Competition
for Young Singers
Gagok is a musical setting of a poem or a text written based on the Western European classical art tradition and notation system that was embraced in Korea at the end of the nineteenth century. The Korean Art Song Competition (KASC) is designed to celebrate the history and the genre of Korean art songs, Gagok.
With the increasing interest and popularity in K-pop, K-drama & K-movie cultures and the Korean language in the United States, the time is ripe to make Gagok more accessible to Americans. This competition will be a unique opportunity for American singers to experience a broader study on Gagok including analysis of phonetic alphabets, compositional styles, text-melody relations, the poetry, and historic and cultural backgrounds of the text. Furthermore, we hope that this event will build a greater appreciation for Korean culture and its art songs.
May 1, 2025: Application Deadline
Early June, 2025: Finalists to be Announced
August 16, 3:00 pm: Final Round (open to public)
Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
8 Fenway, Boston, MA
Prizes
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The First Place: USD $2,000
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The Second Place: USD $1,000
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The Thirsd Place: USD $500
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Honorable Mention: USD $500
KASC reserves the right to award all or part of prizes at its discretion.
Finalists must be able to travel to Boston, MA for the rehearsal and final round (open to public) in Boston, MA on August 16, 2025. Travel honorarium of $200 will be provided by KASC to all the finalists who will be traveling to Boston. KASC will record the performance of the final competition.
Eligibility, Repertoire, and Upload Guidelines
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Eligibility: Singers between the age of 18 and 29 as of May 1, 2025 who currently reside in the U.S. and whose native languages are anything other than Korean are eligible to apply.
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A Proof of Age: All singers should submit a copy of an ID (a Driver’s License or a passport) along with an application form.
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Repertoire Requirement: Each applicant should submit recordings of two art songs – one required piece and one chosen by the applicant.
In this competition, all music must be memorized, and transposition is generally permitted for each
song. While only the first verse is required, additional verses are encouraged and welcome.
Required Repertoire
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High Voice: "Nimi Osineunji” lyric by Bak, Mun Ho and music by Kim, Kyu Hwan (“님이 오시는지” 박문호 작시, 김규환 작곡)
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Medium/Low Voice:: "Bimok” lyric by Chang, Ihl Nam and music by Hahn, Myung Hee (“비목” 한명희 작시, 장일남 작곡)
Acquiring the Score of the Required Piece
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KASC will provide sheet music of the required pieces at no cost, according to the voice type. Please fill out the agreement form to ensure the prevention of unauthorized distribution of scores, and email the signed form to kartsong@kcsboston.org. The scores will be made available then.
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Each applicant is responsible for obtaining the applicant's own legal copy of sheet music for their selected pieces. Please see the section of resources below for additional options to obtain sheet music or Korean Art Song Anthologies.
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Video Submission for the Preliminary Round
Recording
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Please record a separate, unedited video of each selection entered.
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Your camera should record from a fixed, audience-center position. Your video must clearly show your face and your entire body.
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Introduce yourself and your selection at the beginning of each video. Please announce only your name, your voice type, and the title of your song, and the name of the composer.
Performance
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Perform with a live pianist at least partially on camera.
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Pianists must play either from memory or from copyright-compliant sheet music or scores.
YouTube Upload:
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Select “Unlisted” in the privacy settings.
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Each video title should include only your full name and the title of your song. In the YouTube “Description” section, please include the title of your song and the name of the composer and lyricist ONLY.
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YouTube is the only video uploading platform that will be accepted.
Submission
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In your online application form, please copy the complete web link/URL for each video matching the selection’s title. Please double-check your video submission’s link to be sure that the video and audio are in sync and the performance is of a complete selection.
Adjudication
A panel of five judges will review the video submissions in the first round and will select a maximum of ten finalists. They will be announced in early June. The final round (open to public) will take place at Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 3:00 PM. A panel including the Chair of the Competition Committee, Artistic Director of KASC, and guest judges will determine the winners after the final round. The judges' decisions will be final, and the finalists will be announced immediately following the conclusion of the final round.
Copyrights
KASC shall retain unlimited performance and mechanical rights to the performances and recordings made by KASC.
Resources
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Korean art song database for English speakers: click here.
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Digital Score of 14 selected songs from eMusicBiz.com: click here.
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If you want to purchase from them, please send an email to emusicbiz@naver.com.
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Korean Art Songs: An Anthology and Guide (Vol 1, 2. High & Medium/Low Voice): click here.
Application Checklist, Fee & Link
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Checklist for Application Form
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A Copy of ID (Driver’s License or Passport. Please erase or cover the ID number to protect your privacy.)
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Two links of your YouTube uploads (Unlisted)
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Your biography in 120~150 words (Word file)
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A Headshot in TIFF or JPEC
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Application fee of USD $30 is required. We will send you an invoice via email after receiving your completed form.
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Competition Committee
Ryu-Kyung Kim, Chair of Competition Committee
Yoo Sun Na, Artistic Director
Lauren Woo, Executive Administrator