Programmes

K-Music Festival 2025

Music

K-Music Festival 2025

1 Oct - 20 Nov 2025

From 1 Oct to 20 Nov 2025, the K-Music Festival returns with its most ambitious line-up yet, celebrating the richness and innovation of Korean music like never before!

Highlights include a genre-defying collaboration between Okkyung Lee and Mark Fell, a sweeping orchestral reimagining of JAMBINAI with the London Contemporary Orchestra, and a lyrical meeting of Korean string trio Hilgeum with British vocalist Alice Zawadzki. Acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha crafts ambient soundscapes rooted in ancient traditions. Won Il’s Dionysus Robot blends completely new sound, stunning visuals, and drag, while Gray by Silver offers meditative jazz-infused storytelling. The festival closes with a major world premiere: Seong-Jin Cho performs a new concerto by Dong-hoon Shin with the London Symphony Orchestra. From experimental sound art to reimagined traditions, K-Music Festival 2025 celebrates the vibrant future of Korean music.

“★★★★★ There‘s more to Korea than K-pop”

Okkyung Lee with Mark Fell
WED 1 OCT | Kings Place Hall One

The opening night at Kings Place features a compelling collaboration between cellist Okkyung Lee and multidisciplinary artist Mark Fell, blending improvisation and electronic structure in a genre-defying encounter.
JAMBINAI with London Contemporary Orchestra
SUN 5 OCT | Barbican Hall

The Barbican will present post-rock innovators JAMBINAI join forces with the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames to transform their sound into a sweeping orchestral spectacle, combining traditional Korean instrumentation with cinematic power.
Hilgeum with Alice Zawadzki
SAT 18 OCT | Purcell Room, Southbank Centre

Korean traditional string trio Hilgeum meet British vocalist and composer Alice Zawadzki in a delicate yet daring exploration of Korean heritage and contemporary voice.
Park Jiha
WED 22 OCT | Rich Mix

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha returns with a meditative solo set shaped by traditional Korean instruments. Blending tradition with ambient minimalism, she traces time in luminous stillness.
Won Il’s Dionysus Robot
FRI 14 NOV | Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre

Composer Won Il unveils Dionysus Robot — an immersive, ritual-driven piece merging sound, shamanic rhythm and drag performance. Featuring Jimin Mo, it offers a meditation on instinct, technology and transformation.
Gray by Silver
SAT 15 NOV | Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall

Award-winning jazz quartet Gray by Silver bring their introspective blend of Korean sentiment, jazz textures and improvisational nuance to the Late Night Jazz in a quiet yet powerful set.
Seong-Jin Cho: Artist Portrait
Part of LSO Furtures
THU 20 NOV | Barbican Hall

The festival closes on 20 November with a landmark premiere: pianist Seong-Jin Cho performs a newly commissioned concerto by composer Dong-hoon Shin, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra.

From radical sonic experimentation to reimagined traditions, K-Music Festival 2025 showcases the voices shaping the future of Korean music — dynamic, unpredictable, and deeply resonant.

The K-Music Festival will be presented by the Korean Cultural Centre UK in partnership with Serious.