What happens when traditional Korean percussion meets a jazz piano and violin?

At Druckereihalle in Basel, the answer was wonderfully unpredictable.

The concert grew from a collaboration between Hendrikje Lange, founder of Basel-based Samulnori group Hanul Baram, and composer Helena Winkelman. When Hendrikje’s Korean percussion teacher, Kim Dong-Won, expressed his wish to visit Switzerland, an idea began to take shape: why not bring Korean traditional music into conversation with Western jazz?

Jazz pianist Hans Feigenwinter joined the project, and together the musicians created an evening where different musical worlds could meet without either having to give up its identity.

The concert opened with a samulnori performance before moving into improvisation. Across nine pieces, Korean percussion, piano and violin responded to one another in real time. Sometimes playful, sometimes intense, and always surprising, the music felt less like two traditions being combined and more like a conversation between musicians.

The audience reflected this spirit well. Families with small children sat alongside seniors; Korean and Swiss listeners shared the same space. You didn’t need to know traditional Korean music or jazz to understand what was happening. The curiosity between the musicians was something everyone could feel.

That exchange continues beyond this performance. Hanul Baram, founded in Basel in 2022, has brought Korean percussion to audiences at events ranging from local performances to an appearance for the South Korean president. Meanwhile, Helena Winkelmann is writing an opera inspired by a traditional Korean pansori story, set to premiere in September 2027.

For us at Friends of Korea, evenings like this capture what cultural exchange can be at its best: not simply presenting one culture to another, but creating something new together.

A huge thank you to Ms. Lange, who invited Friends of Korea to the event, and to Ms. Winkelman for sharing the story behind the collaboration. Together with Mr. Feigenwinter and Mr. Kim they created a unique experience that the audience will remember for a long time.