Kim Duk Soo is a South Korean traditional performing artist. He is not only an acknowledged master of traditional Korean music, but also a prolific creator of modern music. His father took him to "Namsadang" (a touring artistic company) at the age of five and gained the reputation of a Changgu (double headed drum) child prodigy. He became the youngest person ever to win a President’s Award at the age of 7. In 1978, he formed "SamulNori" a traditional percussion quartet, which has been very active in a variety of ways with more than 5,500 performances in over 50 countries. The group has kept on reinterpreting traditional Korean music in a modern way, and has continued to produce cutting-edge contemporary music.

In 1993, Kim founded "Samulnori Hanullim" in an effort to train the younger generation, and to modernize the traditional arts through collaboration with jazz, orchestra, dance, theater and fine art. He has received numerous prizes and was also chosen as one of the "50 Most Distinguished Koreans in the 50 Years since National Liberation" by the Chosun Daily newspaper. From 2014 to present, he is a professor at the Department of Traditional Arts at the Korea National University of Arts and Artistic Director of the Center for Performing Arts and Exhibitions.

(Source: Wikipedia & Fukuoka Prize) Edit Biography