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| A group photo at an IPAC event / Courtesy of Park Chan-ju |
By Howard H. Hernandez
It's around 7 p.m. in Seoul's southern Seocho-gu and after having meetings all day, Park Chan-ju, owner of IPAC, a music academy and performance venue, prepares dinner for about 30 guests. The wine bottles are chilled. Chairs are arranged in an intimate setting. The setting is intimate.
For tonight's performance, storyteller Kim Yae-na will perform a story from the Middle East, while percussionist Kim Min-seok, who studied Arabic-style percussion, will accompany Yae-na's story with various Arabic instruments.
The two artists sit in the back waiting to start the show.
Yae-na says, "Actually, I'm not that nervous because the setting is so homely that it doesn't feel too intimidating. The audience is really close to us, too. It feels more like we're performing more for a small group of friends."
Min-seok adds, "For me, I don't really think about much before these kinds of shows, but I do like how everyone here is really friendly, even though it's the first time to meet. You don't really see this kind of ambience in Korea, so it feels pretty fresh and interesting."
Meanwhile, IPAC fills with patrons who find their seats and socialize. By the time the artists come out, the house is full and everyone's attention is on them. They are Korean, but dressed in full Arabic-style traditional clothing.
Meanwhile, Chan-ju and her daughter Hannah are filming the performance from two different locations.
"This is a family-owned business," says Chan-ju. "All of us have a job to do."
After about an hour, the show finishes, and this is where IPAC does things a little differently from other live houses.
Instead of going home, the artists talk and interact with the patrons, and even offer free lessons in their respective craft.
Chan-ju and Hannah hand out wine glasses. And then dinner is served, prepared by Chan-ju's husband, Gerald.
"I love cooking. Why not share it with people who come here and enjoy the show?" Gerald says while bringing out the evening's home-cooked Arabic-themed dinner, made especially to coincide with the Arabic-themed show.
"Doing everything by ourselves is difficult, of course, but it's always worth it. I've always wanted to give the community a real sense of being together and enjoying music together," says Chan-ju.
Situated in the middle of a small neighborhood, IPAC's unique blend of music, art and a home-away-from-home feeling give it something other music houses don't or cannot provide.
As for the customer base, everyone is here. Musicians, actors, doctors, lawyers, business owners, bartenders and university students. It's hard to imagine so many different kinds of people from all walks of life and a range of ages coming together after a show and having dinner and wine, and doing some networking.
But this is the part where IPAC is attempting to change the status quo about what a live house is.
"The idea of bringing people together for a common cause such as music is what keeps IPAC fresh and interesting," Hannah says while sipping wine with another guest.
"I like this kind of environment," adds Tae-jun, a bartender. "I didn't know places like this existed in Korea. Normally, at these kinds of events, once the show's over, everyone goes home. I met some pretty good people tonight. I'll definitely be coming back more often."
After dinner, wine and networking, Chan-ju sits down and takes a sip from her wine glass. "You know, I always get nervous before these events, because I'm preparing everything by myself, but after I see everyone enjoying themselves and chatting with new faces, I feel like it's all worth it," she says.
And as the last guests head out, Chan-ju closes the door behind them, satisfied with how the night went. Then she goes back to her office to prepare for the next day's performance.
IPAC has performances every Monday. While the schedule right now is mostly classical music, they are beginning to add other types of shows. Aside from classical music, IPAC will soon be hosting jazz bands, solo artists, painters, dancers and traditional Korean art styles. But that isn't all, IPAC also welcomes foreign talent and has hosted several high-profile musicians from all over the world, including pianist Oliver Kern from Germany, violinist Gwendolyn Masin of the Netherlands and pianist Saya Sangidorj of Mongolia.
Tickets to IPAC events can be purchased on the website or by making a reservation directly through Chan-ju. Upcoming performers include pianist Maurizio Moretti, who will be performing along with a free masterclass after the show, and Saya Sangidorj.
Howard H. Hernandez is a videographer based in Korea. Visit hernandezstudio.net for more information.
