Transfigurations: Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” in Music and Words – Lisa Sung Ensemble

Korean American jazz pianist Lisa Sung presents an original song cycle inspired by The Vegetarian, a book by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang. Performed by her ensemble in collaboration with the Nam Center for Korean Studies at the University of Michigan, the concert explores themes from the book: silence, resistance, and transformation through sound. Drawing from contemporary jazz and improvisation, Sung’s compositions translate the novel’s psychological intensity and poetic restraint into an intimate sonic experience. Audiences can expect a performance that blurs literature and music, inviting deep listening and reflection.

Lisa Sung – Piano, curator
Eva Rosenwald – reader
Brynn Hillker – bass
Max Welterlen – drums
Tae Hoon Yoo (big fire) – reader
Marcus Miller – Saxophone
Andrew Bishop – Saxophone & Flute
Special guest lecturer: Dr. Youngju Ryu, Professor of Korean Literature & Director of International Institute, University of Michigan