Jung JongSoo came to Romania to discover the mysteries of the pan flute, a tool he has fallen in love with since childhood. Due to his special qualities, he impressed Maestro Gheorghe Zamfir, and he accepted to be his teacher. The time spent in our country made him love the Romanian traditions, be passionate about our old songs and popular dances. I was deeply impressed when he confessed to me that he would work hard for Asians to discover traditional Romanian music. It was the most beautiful declaration of love that a foreigner can make to Romania.
The 26-year-old man from Seoul – South Korea is studying at the National University of Music in Bucharest and has agreed to reveal his story and show how foreigners are received in Romania’s most important city.
The dialogue with this great artist represented a new lesson related to Romania, Bucharest and the miracles that were offered to Romanians at birth.
It is a lesson for all those who have made a habit of presenting only what is negative in Romania, it is a lesson for those who do not stop criticizing their country, pointing fingers regardless of the situation.
The warmth with which he spoke to me about all his experiences, the fact that he is grateful for everything that happens to him, the pride with which he presents himself, but also the happiness of studying alongside a great personality from our country are just a few of the reasons that made me happy for the privilege of writing about such a man.
“My Romanian first name is John”
From the beginning, he tells me that his Romanian first name is John and that he comes from a modest family, but with a great love for the beautiful. Those who paved his way for music are his parents, because they raised him in an environment where “songs on the tape” were a constant.
John from South Korea is a special artist for whom music represents the reason for living. The pan flute is for him the instrument of the angels with whom he wants to make people happy.
“I got to love music as a kid, so I started singing in the church choir. Besides music, I like to go out in nature, to relax, to meditate, to observe people, to admire the architecture of buildings and the life of the city. I like to meet people and find out new things. I like to travel, to visit, to see and to feel the colors of other countries, and now I feel the warm colors of Romania. Before coming to Bucharest, I studied music at Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea, and I was the first student from Korea to graduate pan flute specialization. Music makes me feel like I’m really living. Music conveys strong feelings to people, emotion, love, and I wanted to be the person the music speaks through. I first heard the pan flute on a Sunday at church when I was a kid. I fell in love with his sound from the first note and I always thought it sounded like the music of the angels. And since I always liked to try new things, I started studying the pan flute at the age of 12. Currently, the interest for pan flute is growing in Korea, but there are few specialists. That’s why I came to Romania, to study the pan flute more deeply”, shows the young man.
Choosing Bucharest was not accidental. John decided to come to the Romanian capital because there are many quality artists here, there are many pan flute singers. Moreover, it is a city where many music festivals and concerts are organized. “I first came to Bucharest in January 2017. I had the opportunity to meet and listen to very good pan flute singers and I decided to return to study here, for my future as a musician and for my music. In October 2018 I fulfilled my dream, coming to Romania. Currently, I am a Master’s Degree student, pan flute specialization, at the National University of Music Bucharest, and I have the honor to be also the student of maestro Gheorghe Zamfir”, points out the young man.
A wonderful city where a musician can follow his dream
From the first moment he stepped into the city of adoption, he felt perfect. He never had the feeling that he was a stranger, and it was all due to the people who were welcoming, ready to help him anytime.
He testified that the Romanians made him feel that he had the same opportunities as them, and this made it easy for him to adapt. „Bucharest is a wonderful city, where a musician can start to follow his dream. You can meet many young artists here, but also a large number of people from Bucharest who listen to their music and attend their concerts. As an artist, Romanians accepted me very quickly. I am glad that I am able to integrate myself in this city with the help of music. People here are open when it comes to music and art, and artists feel that,” says the musician.
Besides studies, John had the opportunity to get involved in many cultural events organized in our country.
For example, he was invited to sing at various events of the South Korean Embassy.
He also gave a recital for Women’s Day, and in April he is invited to a concert by a band using traditional Korean instruments. On this occasion, he will perform traditional songs from his native country, but also from Romania. “The most important event I attended was a pan flute recital, where I had the honor to sing with Maestro Gheorghe Zamfir. The event took place in June 2019, within the International Festival of Folklore, Music and Traditions in Bucharest. At this moment, I am preparing a pan flute masterclass in Romania, a masterclass that will be held in January 2021 and is dedicated to Korean students. For the moment, I have projects only in Bucharest, but I hope and wish to have them in other big cities of the world. I will try and work hard for the Asians to discover traditional Romanian music,” says the artist.
Bucharest is a city that likes art
John characterizes Bucharest as a city that likes art. “I was amazed that, at shows held on the occasion of the George Enescu International Festival or other events organized at the Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest National Opera or Radio Hall, very few free seats were rarely found. As in any other field, there is room for improvement,” points out the student from South Korea.
The young man is a great lover of Romanian traditions, having a preference for the cuisine, for our traditional songs and dances. He discovers new opportunities that can facilitate his access to everything that is Romanian, when he has the chance.
His favorite place in Bucharest is the Romanian Athenaeum, on which he says that keeps many traces of Romanian history and music. In fact, this building impressed him with its story and the fact that people donated money to build it. “This showed me the love of Romanians for art. Because I really like the traditional Romanian food, music and dances, another place I fell in love with is a famous restaurant in Bucharest. I really like the architecture and style of the restaurant and every time I want to listen to Romanian music or eat my favorite Romanian food, namely the tripe soup, I go to this restaurant. I really like to walk around the Unirii Square in the evening and stop to watch the Fountain show. When the show starts it’s something magical: the water, the music and the colors create a perfect harmony. The water forms dolphins that dance to the rhythm of the music. The sound of the water calms me and I hope that, in the future, I will write a song for the pan flute inspired by the sound of the fountains. Cișmigiu is my favorite park in Bucharest. Being close to the Conservatory, every time I need peace and relaxation, after classes, I go to Cișmigiu, sit on a bench, close my eyes and take a deep breath, listening to the song of birds and the sound of the wind. Then I open my eyes and look at the sky, people reading books. I noticed that the literature is still alive in Romania. I really like nature, and in summer I walk, I admire the flowers and the park which is very clean. Another favorite place is a famous bookstore from a historical monument building. It is a very beautiful place and I like to lose myself among music CDs and discs. It is an oasis of peace, in a crowded Bucharest”, says John.
“I am happy in Romania”
The good experiences that he had in Bucharest make John to consider the possibility of settling permanently in Romania. “Here, I could grow more artistically. I am happy in Romania. When I was in South Korea, because of the large number of skyscrapers, I almost forgot what the beauty of the sky looked like. I rediscovered it in Bucharest, the capital of Romania having many green areas and parks from which you can admire the blue sky and where you can relax in nature. I also like the people of Bucharest. I only met goodhearted people, who helped me whenever I needed, from teachers, to colleagues. Even though I don’t know Romanian very well, it was easy for me to make very good friends here. Things I don’t like are the crowds, the infernal traffic, the sirens and the car horns of the rushed drivers, which make Bucharest a very noisy city. When I first came to Bucharest, I thought it was a very spacious city, where urbane and nature coexist. I also noticed people. Unlike Koreans, Romanians work in a more relaxed way, and restaurants are places where the focus is more on socialization than on food. These things made me realize that I am in a European country with a culture very different from my country.”, says the musician.
There are many reasons for the young man coming from South Korea to prefer our country. John claims that in Bucharest, one can live by art, because in European countries people still love to go to many concerts, to listen and enjoy live music. “Here musicians can organize and have concerts very easily. In Asia, for example, people’s lives are very busy. After work, people go home immediately to rest for the next day. Unfortunately, people are no longer interested in art, considering that they do not have the time, forgetting that a good concert can be relaxing and restful. Most people do not come to concerts and listen to music only from CDs or the Internet. So, I think that in some areas of the world it is easier to live by art than in others,” notes the musician.
Perfectly integrated in the landscape of Bucharest, Jung JongSoo loves his city of adoption because it is very beautiful and has many more or less well-known tourist objectives, which are worth visiting. He believes that we should rely more on the assets of the Romanian capital and promote more intensely, on the Internet, all that Bucharest has to offer, so that as many foreigners as possible to find out the tourist opportunities that they can discover here. He also believes that not only the historic buildings should be rehabilitated, but also the nearby communist blocks. This mixture of architectural styles represents the business card of the city and we must focus on it.
