Melodies of Friendship:

Celebrating 70 Years of the U.S.-Korea Alliance

 

Wednesday, June 28 @ 6 P.M.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Auditorium

901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001

Free Admission

 

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The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) and the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs proudly present Melodies of Friendship: Celebrating 70 Years of the U.S.-Korea Alliance, a joint concert on June 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. featuring an original mashup of Korean and American musical styles from two acclaimed ensembles.

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Melodies of Friendship will feature two outstanding groups—one with Korean roots and one with DC roots. Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble is comprised of top Korean and world heritage musicians who aspire to share an appreciation for life and art with global audiences through Korean Fever, their work infused with elements of Korean traditional music, or gugak. DC’s own Sirius Company is an authentic GoGo band, championing the American music form that originated in Washington, D.C. with famed guitarist Chuck Brown in the 1970s. Sirius Company features trend-setters Kimberly “Ms. Kim” Michelle and Frank “Scooby” Sirius, who infuse the genre with modern elements of R&B, pop, and jazz.

This unique concert combines diverse musical styles from two rich cultural heritages to celebrate the longstanding ties of friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea. Melodies of Friendship will welcome, unite, and enrich the community with a night to remember through a shared love of music and culture.

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This event is free to attend, but advance registration is required via the KCCDC website.

 

About the Performance Groups and Programs

 

Korea has enjoyed remarkable economic growth and a renaissance in the cultural and artistic world. Korean Fever by Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble is designed to showcase this hope and desire to enjoy a similar time of prosperity and growth once again. The group’s world tour began in Korea and traveled across the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe, where they cultivated positive dreams and provided healing experiences to global audiences through a unique fusion of musical traditions. Rami Seo’s World Music Ensemble is comprised of top New York musicians who aspire to share an appreciation for life and art, performing for world audiences and Korean heritage communities whose joys and sorrows are embedded in the music that the group’s namesake, Rami Seo, has herself experienced as an immigrant artist.

Rami Seo is one of the premier performers of the Korean traditional zither known as the gayageum, on which she both embraces tradition and innovates to create new music. Her major performances and collaborations include those at and with the National Grand Theater of Korea, Korean Traditional Orchestra of Seoul, Korean National Orchestra for Traditional Music, 1988 Seoul Olympics Anniversary Commemoration, YoYoMa’s Silk Road Project for World Music, World Music Virtuoso Concert at Lincoln Center, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center, Blue Note, Smalls, the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Capitol. To date, Ms. Seo has released albums and singles including First Morning, Fallen Leaves, Kaya Song with Fred Ho and her Asian Jazz Fusion Concert recording in collaboration with the Jeff Fair banks Jazz Orchestra. A passionate and inspiring instructor, she is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer at local schools, colleges, cultural workshops, and events. A community activist who believes in making the world a better place through music, Ms. Seo is also the founder and music director of GEMiNY, a gayageum ensemble for young artists, and the ever-popular band Rami Seo’s project World Music Ensemble. She is currently a popular DJ of AM1660 K-Radio "Radioholic" (Mon.-Fri. 2-4 p.m.) and The Dignity of Life (Sun. 4 p.m.). The project Korean Fever: Returns featuring Rami Seo’s World Music performed a full-scale world tour in 2019-2022.

Sirius Company keeps you on your toes—not just on the dance floor, but through its expansive sound. The group combines traditional GoGo with R&B as well as musical elements of Soul, Pop, and Hip Hop. With Kim “Ms. Kim” Michelle and Frank “Scooby” Sirius of the Chuck Brown Band at the helm, the group reimagines traditional GoGo by adding pop and jazz influences. GoGo, the percussion-driven genre that fuses funk, R&B and hip-hop, originated in Washington, D.C. in the 70s with guitarist Chuck Brown and other pioneers who propelled it to new heights. These days, bands including Sirius Company are refreshing the sound for a new generation and introducing it in new spaces.

Kimberly “Ms. Kim” Michelle is a trend setter for female GoGo artists. In 1995, she made her way onto the GoGo scene with the infamous “Wickedest Band Alive” by Rare Essence. She performed with Rare Essence for years, where she made her mark on the genre, setting a new high for women in GoGo when she recorded Ashlee Simpson's “Pieces of Me.” Frank “Scooby” Sirius is a lead singer for the trend-setting GoGo Band L!SSEN and has been dubbed the “Godson of GoGo” and the motivating factor of many of the group’s sellout performances across the east coast. His soulful, heart-pounding melodies and smooth vocals are an undeniable force in the genre. These two amazing entertainers, nicknamed The Dynamic Duo, have teamed up with a group of talented musicians to form their own band and sound, Sirius Company, as they embark on a groundbreaking career in the future of GoGo.