HVCC Global Culture Series presents Nusantara Arts
Nusantara Arts has been bringing Indonesian music and culture to western and central New York since 2016. As the first — and currently one of only two — U.S.-based organizations to regularly perform both Balinese and Javanese gamelan, its audiences have had the unique privilege of experiencing the two distinct styles side by side.
Founder and Executive Director Matthew Dunning brings a wealth of knowledge and skill from his time studying in both Java and Bali, and world‐renowned guest artists including Gusti Komin Darta and Heri Purwanto contribute their mastery of Indonesian music to elevate the ensemble’s performances.
Nusantara Arts will bring its Balinese Semar Peguligan gamelan ensemble to Hudson Valley Community College for two interactive workshops — taught by Gusti Komin Darta and Reisa Avanti — and a full‐length concert showcasing electrifying music and elegant dancing.
Gamelan, from the islands of Indonesia, is some of the oldest continuously played music in the world. It has developed and spread across thousands of islands in the archipelago of Nusantara (modern‐day Indonesia), with many distinct ensembles, music theories and styles. Gamelan music has nourished Indonesian cultures for more than a thousand years.
Nusantara Arts works to nourish our community with it today. The group teaches and performs gamelan music from both Bali and Java on four unique sets of instruments. Its large Balinese ensemble is a 7‐tone semar pegulingan‐style set. Semar pegulingan is a rare style of Balinese gamelan with roots in the old royal courts. The ensemble’s set is versatile and can play a variety of compositions, including rarely heard traditional music, pelegongan and Lotring compositions from the 1920s, as well as modern and experimental works. Semar pegulingan is known for its sweet and light character.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3467908-0
