Megan Collins

Megan Collins is an exponent of Sumatran Music (rabab pasisia, voice and randai) in Wellington. She spent two years in Padang Pajang in Sumatra studying these musical traditions. Her PhD thesis in Ethnomusicology from Victoria University of Wellington was entitled "The Minangkabau Rabab Pasisia : music, performance and practice in West Sumatra Indonesia" (2002). She has taught ethnomusicology at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington and regularly appears on Radio New Zealand: Concert in their Monday lunchtime Upbeat programme, introducing music from all over the world. Recent activities include a workshop in randai performance (a musical theatre tradition) at the Magdalena Aotearoa Trust conference in April 2009, and an innovative puppetry/storytelling performance with Joko Susilo combining the rabab pasisia with Javanese shadow puppets to create a show to celebrate the first birthday of Sumatran tiger cubs at Auckland Zoo (June 2009).

A CD of music featuring Megan and Rafiloza bin Rafii (one of Megan's teachers) is available to purchase through Gamelan Padhang Moncar.

Click here for an mp3 sample of saluang jo dendang (Megan Collins, voice; Rafiloza bin Rafii, saluang)