Melody H.J. Shim is an LA based Pansori (traditional Korean opera) singer and the director of the Inkhang Pansori Institute of LA.
Melody began her Pansori training at the age of 15 from Jung Ok-hang who is the Korean Intangible Cultural Asset No. 5 Pansori ‘Sugungga’.
She continued her traditional music training at National High School of Traditional Arts and received her BA in Korean Music at Chung-ang University.
As an awardee of the Grand Prize at the 2nd Jongro Gukak Korean Classical Music Contest organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, she performed for ‘Saturday Night’ in 2010 at National Gugak Center and for the TV show called Korean Traditional Music Concert at KBS1.
Melody toured around Gugak Centers in main cities of S.Korea such as Namwon, Busan, Jindo, and Seoul with ‘Namwon Love Song’ performers.
In LA, she has had her pansori performances for variety of large events such as 65th Anniversary of The Korean War at Consulate General of the Republic of Korea,
The 43th Los Angeles Korean Festival, The 55th Annual Heritage Night 2017: Traditional Korean Cultural Showcases.
During these events, she had the privilege of performing on grand stages such as Korean Cultural Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
As a vocalist, she has been collaborating with a choreographer DaEun Jung and performed in museums and art venues including REDCAT, The Fowler, Highways, and The Mortuary in LA as well as Movement Research at Judson Church in New York.