“We wanted people to see modern music can still retain traditional themes and have up-to-date ways of speaking to people,” said Marilyn McCullough, an associate professor of the Asian Studies Center.

Kim, who began playing the komungo 36 years ago at age 14, said she is an advocate of making contemporary music that retains a traditional flair.

After mastering the instrument, Kim said she decided to travel the world in search of a way to modernize the traditional sound.

Kim said she began improvising with several electric guitar players in 1986.

“I’m really interested in making new music,” Kim said. “I’m kind of a pioneer, I guess.”

Like the traditional instrument, the electric komungo has 16 frets and six strings that Kim plucks with a small bamboo stick while using her left hand to press down on strings at the other end.

The sound produced by the electric komungo differed greatly based on the notes Kim played when she improvised for the audience. At one point during the performance, the music sounded like a techno beat one would expect to hear at a rave. Minutes later, the tone shifted from modern and upbeat to sounds like the whipping wind of a tornado.

Kim said she continues to experiment with new sounds without abandoning traditional music.

“Music has evolved continuously,” Kim said. “It’s impossible for music to remain traditional because it’s not played by machines. It’s played by musicians.”

Catherine Ryu, associate professor of Japanese language and culture, brought her students, who are currently studying Korea, to the performance.

““If you’re there, it makes something you learn in class more real,” Ryu said.