Dasom Baek is a composer, improviser, lecturer and performer of traditional Korean instruments, including Daegeum, Sogeum, Danso and Saenghwang. Dasom pursues ground-breaking and modern music rooted in traditional Korean instrumental performance. She is a Certified Master of Important Intangible Cultural Asset, no.45. She has achieved Bachelor’s and Master's degrees from the Korea National University of Arts, and is currently undertaking a PhD course at Seoul National University.
An active soloist, she has performed as a Kumho Young Artist and played a concerto with the KBS Gugak Orchestra. She has won both the Park Rokju Gugak Contest and Nanggye Gugak Contest, whilst achieving 2nd place at the Dong-A Gugak Competition. She has also represented Korea at the ASEAN-KOREA International Flute Festival. Active both at home and abroad, in 2019 she was selected as a fellow for the OMI Music program in New York, collaborating with various genres of musicians from different countries. Subsequently, she held a solo concert showcasing her compositions, marking a key milestone in her path to becoming a fully-fledged composer.
She was selected to play at the 2020 APaMM showcase, organized by the Ulsan Cultural Foundation, and at the Jazzkorea Festival 2020, organized by the Korean Cultural Centre in Germany. In August of the same year she released her debut album, titled . In 2021 she was selected as a showcase artist at SXSW Festival and also had a solo concert at the National Gugak Center in Seoul.
‘’I think the charm of wind instruments is that their sound is based on how you breathe. The stories I’ve kept in my mind I breathe into the instrument - they become music’’
On her latest album Mirror City, Dasom explores ideas of solitude and community within cities and the effects this has on inhabitants. Wishing to hold a mirror up to modern life, she uses music to express the emotions of the people living in the city.
“People have plenty of choices and the convergence of all these choices create infinite possibilities in the city. What impact have I left on my city through my choices?”
Dasom’s contemporary expression of these ancient instruments bridges the gap between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary sonic experimentation. Sparse and spacious, Mirror City layers textured ambient sounds and chopped dusty vocal patterns, all set to the rasping and rich timbres of the Daegeum and Sogeum.
Mirror City also features the incredible work of Minseon Choi who plays Ajeang on the album; a zither with twisted silk strings that is played with a slender stick. Collectively the Sogeum, Daegeum and Ajeang represent a part of Korean musical culture that is starting to regain more attention. With Mirror City, Dasom Baek hopes to showcase the power these heritage instruments can have in contemporary music.