Hwasun Brass Band to perform in fundraising concert for Manta Ray

For the first time ever, a group of young Korean musicians is set to perform on Saipan for a fundraising concert that will benefit the Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Band.

Sixty members of the Hwasun Elementary School Brass Band are slated to arrive on Saturday, June 16, accompanied by conductor Seo Kwang Yul and school principal Choi Yun Chang, along with 13 parents.

The band, composed of 5th and 6th graders, will serve as the main act for the Saipan Music Festival Concert Fundraiser on June 18, Monday, 6:30pm at the American Memorial Park Amphitheater.
Jun Ho Park of JP Entertainment, which is organizing the concert, said yesterday that the Hwasun Brass Band will perform Arirang arranged by Lee Moon-Seok, African Symphony, and Symphony No. 9 in E minor, op. 95, among other musical pieces.

Tickets to the concert cost $20 each for adults and $15 each for students and are available at Saipan Southern High School, Korean Church or the Korean Community office in San Antonio.

Park noted that Monday’s concert is part of the annual Korean Culture Festival, which coincides with the Liberation festivities.

Concert proceeds, Park said, will be donated to the Manta Ray Band, which is raising funds for its scheduled performance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London next month. The band needs to raise $250,000 for the trip and is still short by about $90,000.

“I want to help the Manta Ray Band so they can make it to their London trip,” Park told Saipan Tribune. “We hope to sell more tickets so we can meet our goal to raise $9,000 for them.”

At the concert, the Hwasun Brass Band will perform alongside the Manta Ray Band and the Saipan Pacific Winds Band.

The Hwasun Brass Band, which hails from a city in Jeollanam-do, will also take part in community service activities during their stay.

On June 17, the group will go to Managaha for a beach cleanup. Two days later, on June 19, they will visit the Aging Center to socialize with the island’s elderly.

“We are also inviting the man’amko to watch the concert for free,” added Park.

He urged the community to support the concert, which is sponsored by Asiana Airlines, Mayor’s Office, the Korean newspaper Saipan Times, and Tasi Tours.

“This will be the first time that the Manta Ray and the Saipan Pacific Winds bands will perform together with the Hwasun Brass Band from Korea in a concert. And since it’s a fundraising concert for the Manta Ray Band, we are asking for support from the entire community to watch and enjoy the show,” he said.

For more information, call 287-0778.