In the Terrace Theater of Washington D.C.¡¯s famous John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, roughly 300 people gathered together to watch bass baritone Lee Kwang-kyu perform. The performance was a part of the KORUS House Cultural Gala, a new effort by the KORUS House to promote cultural awareness between Korea and the U.S.

Lee Kwang-kyu performed various operatic numbers in Italian, German, and English while accompanied by Joy Puckett Schreier on the piano and Ira Gold on the double bass.

The multi-ethnic trio on stage not only performed beautifully together, but they also represented a harmonic collaboration of the two nations. This was also represented in the audience – made up of both Koreans and Americans. Admittedly, however, the audience was predominantly Korean.

This is due to the fact that this particular Gala was not only the first of its kind, but also held in celebration of the inauguration of the new Korean president, Lee Myung-bak. As Koreans or Korean-Americans living in the U.S., it is easy to lose touch with one¡¯s cultural roots while being consumed by American everyday life. For this reason, such a celebration serves a great purpose – to unite those of Korean decent to gather together and pay homage to their patria.

Lee Kwang-kyu¡¯s deep, rich bass baritone voice filled the entire auditorium with an impressive sound. Though the audience spanned several generations and age groups, everyone took in the classical performance and left entertained. Lee¡¯s program was made up of numbers by a wide range of composers such as Handel, Schubert, R.V. Williams, Mozart, Ibert, Bach, and Rossini.

The night¡¯s recital ended with a standing ovation, and the audience cheered for an encore. Lee Kwang-kyu obliged, returning to the stage with a performance of a Christian song in Korean. The song evoked a proud reaction from the Korean members of the audience. For a moment, everyone could see how much it meant for Koreans to remind themselves of where they came from.

At the very same time of the performance, on the other side of the world, the citizens of Korea gathered in the city hall in Seoul to watch the inauguration of their new president Lee Myung-bak. On the night of February 24th, 2008, people on multiple continents were united in celebrating the progress of Korea.

By Stephanie Chang