In March 2026, local pianist, composer and singer, Ms. Jackie Myers and her trio traveled to Tongyeong.

The city is the first UNESCO City of Music in South Korea.

During the week of March 23rd – 29th, the Jackie Meyers Trio of Kansas City traveled to Tonyeong South Korea to perform at the Tongyeong Fringe Festival.

The group was led by Jackie on piano and vocals, Seth Lee on bass, and Matt Leifer on drums. Jackie had the opportunity to feature some of the brilliant new compositions from her 2025 release What about the Butterfly on 577 Records.

The band was able to spend a few days enjoying the city, visiting the events surrounding the Fringe Festival and performing on stage on Saturday March 28th. They also met musicians from South Korea and began to create new opportunities for creative collaboration. Bands included trad band 4JIT, and the indie rock group Swiimers (스위머스) .

Stories and photos from the trip are available on Jackie’s Facebook, Instagram and website

Tongyeong, South Korea has been a member city in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2015. This is the first time that Creative City KC has sent a band to a Korean city. The trip was supported by Creative City KC, the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) and the Fringe Festival – as well as Tongyeong City.We look forward to collaborating with Daegu South Korea ( a UCCN City of Music), and Jeonju (a UCCN City of Gastronomy – and future Sister City of Kansas City, Missouri).