Suhirdjan: Reverberations

Category: Traditional

  • University of Oregon

    This complete slendro-pelog gamelan was used regularly by the community-based group, Gamelan Sari Pandhawa, in Eugene. Several years ago, musician-in-residence, Joko Purwanto, taught Javanese gamelan at the University of Oregon.

    Mark Levy

  • University of Pittsburgh

    Kyai Tirta Rukmi is alive and well! It is mostly used for Sundanese gamelan, but we play Javanese music occasionally.

    Website:
    https://www.music.pitt.edu/performance/ensembles/university-gamelan
    https://www.music.pitt.edu/auto-created-vocabulary/gamelan-ensemble

    Andrew N. Weintraub
    Chair and Professor of Music
    University of Pittsburgh
    https://www.music.pitt.edu/people/andrew-n-weintraub

  • University of Texas at Austin

    University of Texas at Austin

    The University of Texas at Austin acquired its gamelan at the end of 1998. We were fortunate to have Pak Rasito Purwopangrawit teach for several semesters between 1999 and 2012. He named our set of instruments Kyai Rosowibowo.

    Professor Stephen Slawek is currently teaching students and community participants the repertoire he learned from Pak Rasito. Our most recent concert was on December 7, 2013. We will be working on pieces in the Spring 2014 semester for our concert in early May.

    Stephen Slawek
    Professor and Division Head, Musicology/Ethnomusicology
    Affiliate, South Asia Institute
    Butler School of Music
    The University of Texas at Austin
    slawek@austin.utexas.edu

  • Western Virginia University

    Gamelan classes are offered every three years and classes culminate in a performance in the World Music Showcase Concert. Their most recent performance was in December 2012, in which they played some new music and Lou Harrison’s Cornish Lancaran for gamelan and saxophone.

    Dr. Michael B. Vercelli
    Director, World Music Performance Center
    4101 Creative Arts Center
    (304) 293-4660
    Michael.Vercelli@mail.wvu.edu

  • Gamelan Pacifica

    Gamelan Pacifica

    In 1987, Gamelan Pacifica director, Jarrad Powell, commissioned the building of a new gamelan in Java to expand the instrumentation of their ensemble. The new gamelan was a full slendro/pelog set with some instruments built of iron and some of bronze. Suhirdjan built the iron instruments in Yogyakarta, while Tentrem built the bronze instruments in Surakarta. Subsequently, a gamelan in the Cirebon style was purchased from Endo Suanda, one of Cirebon’s most noted topeng dancers and musicians.

    Gamelan Pacifica would like to thank all the instrument builders who have explored the possibilities of gamelan instruments throughout many centuries. Their combined perseverance, knowledge, and innovation have manifested a marvelous musical idiom of ancient depth and limit-less possibilities. We are especially grateful to Suhirdjan, whose commitment to gamelan building came at just the right time to benefit Gamelan Pacifica and music lovers in the Northwest.

    Jarrad Powell
    Director
    Gamelan Pacifica
    Seattle, Washington, USA
    jarrad@gamelanpacifica.org
    https://gamelanpacifica.org

  • Gamelan Naga Mas

    The gamelan ordered by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 1995 is currently housed at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The pelog set is actively played by Naga Mas. The gamelan will be used in the Conservatoire’s teaching and community outreach programs.

    In September 2015, they are planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of gamelan in Scotland.

    Gamelan Naga Mas
    Campbell House
    Gartnavel Royal Hospital
    1055 Great Western Road
    Glasgow G12 0XH
    info@nagamas.co.uk
    https://www.nagamas.co.uk/

  • Gamelan Crimson Bloom

    Owned by Mike Coffey and first used at Liberty Ridge Elementary in Sumner, Wa. Then moved to Blaine Elementary in Blaine, Wa. Currently in Naples, Italy at Naples American High School. These instruments have touched hundreds of students over the 12 years they have been used and have been a favorite of all my students.

    Video of a performance of Ritjik Ritjik at the Seattle International Children’s Festival in 2003.

    Other pics are from a Wayang performance of Kancil stories at Blaine Elementary. I will never take for granted the huge contribution that Mas Hirdjan’s instruments have made to the musical learning of my students and the joy the instruments have brought them.

    Mike Coffey

  • Gamelan Chakrabhaswara

    Gamelan Chakrabhaswara

    Gamelan Chakrabhaswara was used at the British International School Jakarta and at a smaller school called Lentera International School, which was located inside Wisma Subud.

    These photos of are a lecture-concert at Wisma Subud by British and Australian students at Lentera School. The ad hoc group that was formed just for the night included 8 to 11 year-old students and some musician friends of their gamelan teacher, the late Bpk. Rudhatin Brongtodiningrat. Their music teacher, Norman Davies (in the white shirt and tie), is playing the bonang. The “theme” of the lecture-concert that was staged for an expat audience was on the merits of teaching Javanese gamelan to mixed ability classes in International Music Education.

  • Gamelan Cakrakusuma

    Originally commissioned by Norman Davies, Cakrakusuma is a pelog gamelan gadon that has recently been donated to a music research group, Taller d’Escultura Sonora Baschet at the University of Barcelona. This is the first Central Javanese gamelan in Spain! The research group is exploring the making of musical instruments pioneered by Bernard and Francois Baschet (see their blog: Taller Baschet).

    Jordi Casadevall
    jordicas@gmail.com

  • Fluxus Arts Education Center

    Fluxus Arts Education Center

    The gamelan set Panggiya Raras came to us in November 2011. It was built on the request of the dutch Fluxus arts education center Zaanstad for their school program Muziek maakt School (Music makes Cool). In this program, all children in the elementary schools (aged 4-12 year) of the neighborhood Poelenburg in Zaandam get music education through singing and playing various sorts of instruments. Every week, children between the ages of 7 to 11 have music lessons in violin, harp, guitar and gamelan.

    The gamelan is a great instrument for these youngsters since it’s possible to play different parts in different levels and the children have to listen very carefully to themselves and the others in the group. The soothing tones of the gamelan help them to focus and they absolutely love their gamelan lessons.

    YouTube channel of Music Makes Cool

    Group 6 (aged 8/9) plays Witing Klapa:

    Group 5 (aged 7/8) plays an improvisation about a giant:

    Group 6 plays Ricik2 during the public presentation of the gamelan set, after just 6 half hour lessons:

    Group 5 plays an improvisation for Mas Hirdjan:

    Claudia RUMONDOR
    componist / assistent artistiek leider Muziek maakt School

    Heukelsstraat 54
    1504 CM ZAANDAM
    The Netherlands
    M: +31 (0)6 – 27304958
    E: claudia@rumondor.nl
    W: www.rumondor.nl