Shimtah
Shimtah is the name of the pungmul group at Cornell University. Shim translates to "heart" and tah means "to beat". Since its establishment in the fall of 1999, the group has grown in size to around 30 ACTIVE members and has worked consistently toward fulfilling the group vision.
Mission
The mission of Shimtah is bifold: The first is to learn and share traditional Korean folk music, pungmul, with the Cornell and Ithaca communities. In doing so, Shimtah hopes to promote a better understanding of the Korean heritage, which will in turn contribute to the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of Cornell University. The second is to provide a forum for Korean and Korean American students of different backgrounds to come together and discuss various issues that are pertinent to the community.
History
Since 1999, Shimtah has been under the leadership of ten different sangswes.
- 1999–2001: H. W. Sung
- 2001–2002: S. Y. Won
- 2002–2003: J. Kim
- 2003–2004: S. Y. Park
- 2004–2005: H. S. Lee
- 2005–2006: S. W. Kim
- 2006–2007: H. K. Kim
- 2007–2008: Y. B. Oak
- 2008–2009: J. Y. Lee
- 2009–2010: J. S. Lee
Performances
Annual Concert
Every year, Shimtah holds its Annual Concert in the fall semester. The first five annual concerts took place in Barnes Hall. Subsequent concerts were held in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall.
Other performances
Throughout the year, Shimtah performs at numerous events in Cornell and the Ithaca communities.
Repertoire
Shimtah primarily plays pungmul originating from a village in Korea named Pilbong. Over the years, Shimtah's repertoire has expanded to include a variety of different forms of Korean percussion and music. Some of these are:
- Pangut
- Samul nori
- Sul janggu
- Buk choom
- Sogo choom
- Chaesang
- Yeoldoobal
- Bunah