How a group of Korean harmonica players captivated the world

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For a specific generation of Koreans, playing the harmonica is a reminder of their youth and their home -- whereas not playing the harmonica for decades reminds them of what they left behind to pursue something more.

This includes Donna Lee. Now that she's 80 years old, Lee can look back on a life growing up in Seoul, where she played the harmonica as a child in music class. She immigrated to the United States, and that led her to Southern California. She found a place in Koreatown, near downtown Los Angeles, where she still lives to this day, and worked at a local hospital for nearly 30 years before retiring.

Retiring left her bored and wanting more. That drew her to the…