By Honorary Reporter Debolina Ghosh from India
Photos = Lee Sangah

Lee Sangah is a Toronto-based ethnomusicologist and performer who promotes the traditional lyrical opera pansori in Canada.

After earning a degree in Korean music from Ewha Womans University, she moved to Canada and completed a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto.

Pansori is a traditional art that blends song, narration and expressive gestures. In 2003, UNESCO designated it a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

As the founder and artistic director of the Canada Pansori Center, Lee teaches at the University of Toronto, Korean Cultural Centre in Ottawa and Korean Consulate General in Toronto. Her recent initiatives include "Pan:Sori," Canada's first collaborative event featuring the art.

She also received the 2023 Dissertation Writing Award from the University of Toronto's Centre for the Study of Korea and the Minister's Prize at the National Pansori Competition in Korea in 2006 and 2007.

The following are excerpts from an email interview with Lee from Feb. 3-12.

What drew you to pansori and why do you want to preserve this art form?

I began studying pansori at 9 mostly because my older brother started first and I followed. At the time, I barely understood what it was. Our teacher shaped me not only as a singer but as a person. At 15, I performed in Chicago for non-Korean audiences and felt the limits of being unable to speak English. I wanted to explain the stories myself and that desire for genuine connection has driven me since. So I decided to master English, study ethnomusicology and train in arts management in the U.S.

What responsibility do you feel in presenting pansori to a multicultural audience?

Pansori requires disciplined and powerful vocal projection, and learning it helps people speak with strength and confidence. Historically, it carried the emotions and perspectives of ordinary people in traditional Korean society. As an immigrant in Canada who navigates language barriers and subtle exclusion, I present pansori to a multicultural audience as an inclusive platform where underserved communities can be heard, recognized and affirmed.

What does pansori express that other musical forms cannot?

What pansori expresses in a way no other musical form quite can is the dynamic tension between the concepts of han and heung. Han means a layered blend of sorrow, resentment and unresolved grief while heung refers to the surge of communal joy arising from shared participation. Together, they move beyond simple feeling into something historical and political, rooted in lived experience.

As the founder of the Canada Pansori Center, how do you balance preserving tradition with innovation?

Tradition is not a fixed object; what we now call traditional was once new and shaped by changing tastes and historical forces before certain forms were canonized, often for political and cultural reasons. Pansori was formalized into established repertoires and vocal styles only in the late 20th century, though it began as popular entertainment for laypeople in Joseon society. Its core aesthetic was interaction, adaptation and improvisation rather than strict fidelity to a fixed script.

If pansori is considered storytelling theater, we must admit that its canonical narratives and performance format do not always resonate immediately with contemporary or non-Korean audiences. So I prioritize developing new works and adaptations grounded in the form's spirit while making it meaningful and accessible today.

What are the challenges of sustaining a traditional Korean art in Canada?

The primary challenge is the underrepresentation of traditional Korean arts and scarcity of related musicians, practitioners and communities in Canada. Korean music culture in Canada and globally has been somewhat reduced to K-pop, and traditional Korean music hasn't captured global audiences the way K-pop has. I seek to raise awareness of diverse traditional music genres from Korea and create accessible platforms for Canadians to enjoy and learn from them.

What is your vision for your center and artistic practice?

My long-term goal at the center is to establish pansori as a recognized musical genre in Canada’s cultural landscape, much like jazz, blues or reggaeton. Once pansori becomes part of the broader cultural vocabulary, I can engage in deeper conversations about its evolution, collaboration and stylistic expansion. I also want to build a strong, inclusive community around the form, particularly for Asian immigrants and second-generation Canadians who often experience racialization and invisibility.

jcy0531@korea.kr

*This article was written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.