Performing Arts Global Exchange

Color photo of a lone woman dressed in white with dark hair standing on a stage before a bright green wall. She pours a basket full of small plastic balls across a traditional stringed musical instrument. I similar Instrument stands nearby.
Photo: SEO JUNGMIN. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

About

Open to presenters nationwide, the Performing Arts Global Exchange (PAGE) is an annually curated roster of international performing artists selected to tour to communities across the United States. The program provides fee support directly to nonprofit presenters programming artists from the roster, and presenters host both public performances and community engagements in achieving the program’s goals of cultural exchange and understanding.

Working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the next PAGE cycle will present U.S. tours in 2024 – 2025. Artists on the roster have not widely toured in the United States and reside in a selected region. This year’s roster will be announced in early 2024.

Questions? Contact Andrew Alness Olson, Program Director, International at andrew@midatlanticarts.org.

Performing Arts Global Exchange is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Artist Selection

How artists are selected for the PAGE roster:

The 2024 – 2025 curation of the Performing Arts Global Exchange roster is currently under way:

  1. Curators living and working in the region of focus are selected each cycle by Mid Atlantic Arts to provide artist roster suggestions. The curators have expertise in the performing arts specifically in the selected region.
  2. Next, feedback on these potential roster artists is gathered via an online survey of U.S. presenters.
  3. Mid Atlantic Arts staff select the final roster, weighing presenter feedback and program goals.

Presenters who would like to provide feedback on the roster artists under consideration via survey should contact Program Director, International Andrew Alness Olson at andrew@midatlanticarts.org.

For Presenters

Booking Guidelines

The guidelines below are for information purposes only. the booking deadline for the 2024 program was July 1, 2023.

Program Guidelines as a Word doc (opens in a new window)
Program Guidelines as a PDF (opens in a new window)

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2024-2025 Artist Roster

The next Performing Arts Global Exchange artist roster is currently under development and will be announced in early 2024.

Current Grantees and Tours

CelloGayageum

Color photo of CelloGayageum. Shot in front of a medium grey background, a woman in traditional Korean dress stands left one hand holding her long silk skirt and the other balancing a Gayageum, a traditional stringed instrument. To her right, a man sits in side profile holding a cello. He wears a dark suit.
Photo: CelloGayageum. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

CelloGayageum is a unique intercultural musical duo consisting of cellist Sol Daniel Kim and Gayageum player Dayoung Yoon. The idea to create this duo came from their visit to the “Pavillon of Unification” in Berlin, a city shaped by a tragic history of war, division, and reunion. By seamlessly blending the musical cultures and instruments of the cello and Gayageum, they create a harmonious symbiosis in both sound and style. On this tour, CelloGayageum will present original compositions from their new album titled “2.0”. The music is based on Korean traditional music and classical chamber music, with a hint of jazz, bluegrass, and flamenco. CelloGayageum is also keen on community engagement programs such as workshops and masterclasses for both general audiences and professional musicians. The programs will share general knowledge of Korean traditional music and instruments, and the duo’s unique approach to blending Korean music and western music.

Grantees include:

Coreyah

Color photo of Coreyah. A group of six musicians in colorful modern clothing stand on a stage in front of a white curtained backdrop. Some sit and some stand. They each are holding either a traditional or modern instrument.
Photo: Coreyah. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Coreyah is a psychedelic Korean folk music group whose six members integrate traditional Korean instruments, vocals, guitar, and percussion. Since their 2010 debut, Coreyah has pioneered a new style of Korean music that blends genres of contemporary ethnic and popular sounds while still maintaining the distinctive characteristics of traditional Korean instruments. The group’s unique freewheeling, polystylistic vision combines a variety of influences, including Anglo-American rock, Balkan gypsy, and genres from South America and Africa.

Coreyah has toured around the world visiting over 50 cities in 34 countries, and continues to delight audiences at home and abroad. Coreyah was recently featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert in June 2020 and performed three songs from their new album.

Coreyah released their 4th album “Clap & Applause” in July 2020. This new album celebrates their 10th anniversary with a dance-inducing, exciting new vision for Korean world music. Korean traditional rhythms combine with toe-tapping and hand-clapping dance beats set to the sounds of the soulful daegeum flute, electrifying geomungo zither, and fierceful janggu hourglass drum. Coreyah’s latest album continues their long-standing effort to infuse pop into traditional music through bold, youthful style, heartfelt lyrics, and a psychedelic sound.

The name Coreyah is a Sino-Korean homonym that refers to the inheritance of the past and also in Korean means “whale”—the group’s good luck charm.

Grantees include:

Second Moon

Color photo of 2nd Moon. Six people stand in front of an off-white studio background. They are dressed in a variety of suits and shirts and a woman standing center hold a stringed instrument.
Photo: Second Moon, Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Evoking Korean traditional Pansori sounds and mixed with Western instrumentals, Second Moon is a dynamic 7-member band that has been making waves since their formation in 2004. Combining two very different genres of music, Second Moon brings a unique sound to the stage as they fuse Korean Pansori, a style of musical storytelling, with Irish music by incorporating instruments like Irish whistle, bodhran, and mandolin. The band gained recognition in 2006 when they were selected for “Rookie of the Year” and “Record of the Year” at the Korean Music Awards, and their music was featured in the hit TV drama Princess Hours.

Second Moon continued to push musical boundaries with their album Pansori Chunhyangga – a fusion of traditional Pansori and world music – which won the “Best Jazz and Crossover” award at the 2017 Korea Music Awards. A highlight of the band’s career was performing at the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

In the 2023-24 season, Second Moon brings music from their award-winning album PansoriChunhyangga, which reimagines the main passages of the Chunhyangga, one of the best known love stories and folk tales of Korea.

Band Members: Hyunbo Kim (guitar, mandolin, bodhran, Irish whistle), Younghoon Lee (guitar), Jinkyung Choi (piano, accordion), Yunjeong Jo (violin), Jingo Park (bass), Jongsun Park (drums), and Danhae Oh (vocals).

Grantees include:

Seo Jungmin

Color photo of Gayageum artist Seo Jungmin. Seo sits center playing the Gayageum. Multicolor balls of all sizes and colors cover the ground at her feet. Bathed in red light she wears a white blouse and grey slacks.
Photo: Seo Jungmin. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Gayageum artist Seo Jungmin transforms living moments into music. Seo blurs the boundaries between traditional and contemporary music, documenting special moments with the 25-string Gayageum. As a member of the highly acclaimed traditional Korean music duo Su:m, Seo has performed globally at WOMEX UK, WOMAD Australia, WOMAD New Zealand, and SXSW. In 2016, Seo released her first solo album COSMOS 25. This album earned a nomination in the “Excellent Crossover Album” category at the 2017 Korean Music Awards and “World Music Album” entry at the 60th Grammy Awards. Her concert HOME was selected as “Repertoire of the Year” by Arts Council Korea.

On this tour, Seo Jungmin will present her most recent works and compositions, including One, My Utopia! which was presented at the 2022 CINARS Biennale and was honored with the title of PAMS Choice at the Performing Arts Market Seoul in 2021.

Grantees include:

SE:UM

Color photo of SE;UM. Four members on the musical group SE:UM perform on a wooden stage. They are all dressed in black suits and play a variety of modern and traditional instruments.
Photo: SE:UM. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

In 2013, a group of jazz players and Korean traditional musicians started to play jam sessions based on traditional Korean folk melodies and shamanistic rhythms, eventually forming SE:UM. The eclectic quintet is comprised of saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, bassist Jaeha Lee, traditional percussionist Minhyung Lee, and gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean zither) player and music director Joon Lee. In 2015 SE:UM’s debut album was nominated for Best Crossover Album and Best Jazz & Crossover Performance at the Korea Music Awards. They were also selected as a Choice Artist by the two biggest international performing arts markets in Korea, PAMS and APaMM. Since then, SE:UM has performed around the world from the UAE to the US, and expanded its musical boundaries collaborating with ever diverse partners.

On this tour they will perform a concert titled “Korean Breath: Ten Thousand Waves” which includes music from their most recent album, Ten Thousand Waves. Recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the album is based on the Korean folktale about the legendary bamboo pipe that saved the perilous world. SE:UM wishes to spread out hope and comfort to the US audience like ten thousand waves.

Grantees include:

Manage Your Grant

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program. Please contact staff if the project needs to pivot to virtual. Requested changes must be submitted to Jamie Melius, Grant Manager, at jmelius@midatlanticarts.org. 

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included in Section 7 of the Grant Award Agreement. 

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report. 

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement, and where space permits, the logos of Mid Atlantic Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. 

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way: 

This engagement of [ARTIST] is made possible in part through the Performing Arts Global Exchange program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at https://www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link must remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic’s logo. 

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions are included in Section 8 of the Grant Award Agreement. 

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement. 

Final reports are completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ Smart Simple system at https://midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com. Please read the instructions in the Smart Simple system carefully. 

To access and submit the final report, log into SmartSimple with the same login and password that you used to apply for the grant. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the Smart Simple login page to retrieve the information. 

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Jamie Melius, Grant Manager, at jmelius@midatlanticarts.org.