Gamelan Workshops
November 2008
Gamelan Room NZ School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Campus, Gate 7
Suggested koha of $5
Come and hit a gong!
During November 2008, Gamelan Padhang Moncar held several workshops for the public and members of Victoria University staff.
We performed a traditional Javanese piece, showcasing the two different tuning systems and then participants asked questions about the music before getting hands-on.
During the workshop, they learned basic technique, how to play a simple piece and more about how the music works, by moving around the ensemble and trying a range of instruments - including those gongs!.
The Seven Ages of Man - cross-cultural multi-media music-theatre
Saturday 4 October, 8pm;
Sunday 5 October, 8pm
Adam Concert Room, Victoria University of Wellington (Kelburn Campus)
Acclaimed master of Balinese masked dance, I NYOMAN SUKERTA combined with local artists to reinterpret Shakespeare's famous text.
This new collaboration between NZ and Indonesian artists was a hugely entertaining, sometimes startling, reinterpretation of Shakespeare's view of human life. Mixing multi-lingual declamation, exotic vocal styles, physical theatre and gamelan percussion this production transcended the many boundaries of time and place, language and culture. Shakespeare was never more universal than this! All the world's a stage….
Related event: Randai Show: Music-Theatre and Dance from Sumatra, Indonesia
Sunday 28th September, 7pm
Adam Concert Room, NZ School of Music (Kelburn Campus)
Entry by gold coin
"The Story of Upiak and Sutan"
A new collaboration between Megan Collins (NZSM) and guest choreographer Kirstin Pauka (Hawaii University).
A group of students and others presented this folk-theatre show of Indonesian martial arts dances performed in a round.
Clapping, slapping pants percussion and haunting vocal melodies from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra.
Reception celebrating 50 years of Diplomatic Relations between NZ and Indonesia
Tuesday 9 September
Duxton Hotel
Gamelan Taniwha Jaya performed Sekar Ginotan, and accompanied I Nyoman Sukerta in the Balinese mask dance, Jauk Manis as part of the entertainment at this event.
Saturday and Sunday 23/24 August
Soundings Theatre and Te Marae, Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand), 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm
Free event
Two Southeast Asian puppetry traditions were presented - a puppeteer from Thailand with beautiful translucently coloured shadow puppets, accompanied by four musicians; and our own Javanese dalang from Dunedin, Ki Joko Susilo, accompanied by live music from Gamelan Padhang Moncar.
Both groups performed a 40 min story in each show.
Joko Susilo performed short versions of three stories: Sukeksi, Gatutukaca Sungging, and Gatutkaca Gugur from the Mahabharata.
The culmination of the weekend was a unique collaboration between the two groups telling the story of Rama and Sinta in English, with some Thai and Indonesian, accompanied by all the musicians.
Saturday 16 August
TSB Arena Events Centre, 2pm-10pm
Free event
Gamelan Taniwha Jaya performed traditional Balinese music on stage with Balinese dancer Evie Suyadnyani.
Repertoire: Sekar Ginotan (Lotring), Tari Rejang (a temple dance), Jauk Manis. Read more...
Joko Susilo demonstrated Javanese shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) in the Traditional Games area.
This event featured food stalls, displays and performances from nine Southeast Asian nations – Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia,Viet Nam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and attracted a large crowd.
Wellington Premiere of "Rubbings from a Live Man"
Saturday 2 August
Paramount Theatre
Gamelan Padhang Moncar played before this Wellington premiere of Florian Habicht's film about Warwick Broadhead which featured a recording of us playing Ladrang Mijil Ludira on the soundtrack (recorded in March 2008).
Asia:NZ Foundation Patron's Dinner
Thursday 17 July
Government House
Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided music during the pre-dinner drinks for this dinner.
Art After Dark Thursday 15 May, 7:30-8:30pm
Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand)
Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided music for this evening associated with the Theo Schoon Exhibition.
Wayang Kulit Show
Sunday 13 April 2008, 2pm Pataka Museum, Porirua
Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided the music for a wayang kulit (traditional Javanese shadow puppetry) show with puppet master, Joko Susilo.
"In his presentations from behind the screen where he cooks under hot lights wearing heavy Javanese clothes Joko works references to football teams, the weather and local events into the classic Mahabharata and Ramayana epics...Seeing a dexterous dalang work a collection of more than 100 whirling puppets, flashing them across the screen, dodging and receiving arrows and spears, spinning them up and down while singing the story and adding sound effects redefines multi-tasking." Duncan Graham, Jakarta Post, Thursday 1 May 2008
A free public workshop was also offered at 11am, as well as workshops in schools.
"His repertoire includes hands-on interaction with the public, handing out the perfectly perforated multi-colored puppets made of buffalo hide. He lets little kids jerk the figures' spider limbs and finger their grotesque features while he delivers snippets of knowledge.
Joko's technique is matey, not declamatory or serious. So there's only a sense of fun, not formal learning." Duncan Graham, Jakarta Post, Thursday 1 May 2008
Gyuto meets Gamelan: Meditative Fusion of Sound
Sunday 30 March 2008, 7pm
Adam Concert Room, New Zealand School of Music (VUW campus)
As part of their Happiness Connection '08 Tour of Australasia, the Gyuto Monks of Tibet presented a concert with Gamelan Padhang Moncar, in which the monks and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya (Balinese) combined for a powerful end to the concert.
Farewell concert for Allan Thomas
Wednesday 19 March
Adam Concert Room, New Zealand School of Music (VUW campus)
Gamelan Padhang Moncar performed Gendhing Tukung as part of this farewell to Allan Thomas, on his retirement from Victoria University of Wellington.
Allan was responsible for establishing gamelan at the university by bringing a set of instruments from Cirebon in 1975 and starting a teaching programme.
Didik Nini Thowok Saturday 16 February 2008
Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand)
Didik performed traditional Javanese and Balinese dance, with live music from Gamelan Padhang Moncar and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya, as well as dancing the Maori story of Rona e te Marama ('Rona and the Moon') to music by Gareth Farr for both gamelan combined. This work was premiered at the 2007 Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival.
Didik was joined in a newly choreographed Balinese dance by Evie Suyadnyani, a dancer visiting from Bali. They danced exquisitely to music composed especially for them by I Wayan Gde Yudane.
This performance was part of the 10th anniversary of Te Papa. Check out Te Papa's photos of the day, including many of Didik.
"After Bach" premiere - Viola Congress concert
2001
In 2001 the XIXth International Viola Congress was held in Wellington. For the evening concert series, the gamelan in conjunction with massed string players presented a new work by Jack Body. This work combined an 'amplified' version of Bach's prelude from the first solo violin sonata with the pelog tuning of the gamelan - the exotic sonic landscape led the listener through the quieter musings of Bach to the boisterous side of saron gamelan performance. The piece was very well received.
The Gathering Tour
January 1999
In 1999 a group of intrepid adventurers took the Gamelan and made an appearance at New Zealands best known dance festival. The group had a fine performance in the ambient zone shortly before it was shut down and removed due to the unseasonal climatic conditions. As the weather went from bad to worse, our more informal appearances were canceled, and the instruments, having been rather fortuitously packed early, were shifted from place to place to make way for the large numbers of hypothermia victims. The gamelan members all managed to leave safely and the gamelan itself was removed when conditions had improved.
The Butterflies Evil Spell
July 1998
In 1998 a sub group from the Gamelan played musical accompaniment to 'The Butterflies Evil Spell' - the theatrical setting of a poem of Frederico Lorca. For this event the Gamelan worked together with co-directors Bert Van Dyk and Helen Todd, and musical director Cristian Pilditch.There was a long developmental process followed by a ten day season.
