The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon

Sept. 2022 - Jan. 2023 (for SAT voices)

Is the fierce and ferocious tiger scared of anything in this world? What could it be? Inspired by Pansori, a traditional Korean genre of musical

storytelling, this piece seeks to tell the story of the Korean folk tale about a tiger that mistakes a dried persimmon for a terrifying, unearthly beast. The word “dried persimmon” is left in Korean (곶감 / “gojgam”) to bring out the foreign nature of the character.

Commissioned by The May Festival for CINKOA: CINCINNATI KOREAN CHOIR.

World Premiere by CINKOA at 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music on March 19th, 2023.

illustrated by Satoko Kitagawa

Yuri LeeVocal