Continuing a tradition begun in 1960, the Department of Ethnomusicology draws on its incredible collection of world musical instruments to present its annual Spring Festival of World Music. It’s an opportunity for student ensembles to perform and share traditional musics from around the world – including Mexico, India and West Africa – as they master their instruments. We invite you to journey with us–and experience live–the sound of Venerable Dark Cloud, our Javanese gamelan, as well as the erhu, sitar, tabla, guitarrón, vihuela, ‘ud, banjo, concertina, autoharp, atumpan drums, and more! Admission is free. All concerts are at 7 p.m. in Schoenberg Hall.

Ensemble Directors

Joko Sutrisno

See Bio

Joko Sutrisno, an accomplished Javanese gamelan performer, composer, and educator, graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Arts, Surakarta-Java, in 1987. Prior to moving to the U.S. in 1995, he directed the gamelan ensemble at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, for 8 years. Currently he is the artistic director of Sumunar Gamelan and Dance Ensemble of Minnesota, with whom he has conducted a wide variety of gamelan classes, workshops, and residencies for both youth and adult students. He is also consulting director for gamelan ensembles at Saint Thomas University, The University of South Dakota, Concordia College (Moorhead), and Hamilton College (New York). He was recently appointed as the gamelan instructor at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as well as at UC Riverside.

 

Joko has received numerous local and national awards, most recently: Creative Individuals from Minnesota State Arts Board 2022 and 2024; Creative Individuals from Minnesota State Arts Board 2022 and 2023; Arts Impact for Individuals from Metropolitan Regional Arts Center, St. Paul 2022 and 2023; Arts Initiative from Minnesota State Arts Boards (2018); the 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Indonesian Institute of Arts in Surakarta; a 2016 McKnight Composer Fellowship; and a Twin Cities Ivey Award for musical design and direction for a 2014 Green T theatre production.

See Bio

Armen Adamian

See Bio

Armen Adamian is a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology at UCLA. His research investigates the politics of music making among Armenians and the involvement of musical and choreographic discourses in the production of geopolitical and national narratives. Alongside his academic studies, Armen practices duduk and leads an Armenian folk ensemble in Los Angeles. He received his MA in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, a BA in Psychology and a BA in Music Composition from Humboldt State University.

See Bio

Program

Spring Festival of World Music: Music of Java

Joko Sutrisno, Director

 

PROGRAM

 

GAMBYONG MUDHOTOMO
Gambyong dances were developed in the court of Surakarta during the rule of Paku Buwono IV (1788-1820) based on the dances of traveling female performers. Dancer- choreographers in the palace altered the style and sequence of movements to suit court aesthetic. The much-admired dance style with sweet, elegant, refined, controlled movements, epitomizes Javanese ideals of beauty. The well-known Gambyong Mudhotomo was first choreographed in 1989 by Sunarno Purwolelono, who taught for many years at the Indonesian Institute of Arts in Surakarta (ISI Surakarta). This dance is commonly performed at the beginning of celebrations or performances to welcome the guests and audiences.

Dancers: Tri Martodikromo, Dira Saphira LeSher, Aimee Thostenson, and Anne Von Bibra

 

SUBOKASTOWO

A widely performed traditional piece of unknown age and provenance. This piece is based on a 16-beat cycle marked by the gong. In this performance the main melody is performed by the kempul (small gongs), rather than usual sarons (metallophones). The version for tonight’s performance allows listeners to hear clearly the musical patterns played by gender barung (suspended metallophone), gambang (wooden xylophone), and vocal. The first text is in the poetic meter called Kinanthi, which has a specific number of lines per stanza, a specific number of syllables per line, and a complex rhyming scheme. The second text offers a naturalistic description of the beauty of rabbits jumping around in the forest.

 

BONDO YUDO
It is a classical Javanese dance choreographed or created in the era of (KGPAA) Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Aryo Mangkunegoro V (1881 – 1896) the court of Surakarta. The dance depicts the story of warriors who are brave, powerful and skilled in use bindhis (sticks) and tameng (shields). The movements also has meaning of inner war. Inner war is a war carried out by humans to fight or eliminate the negative side in them.
Dancers: Nyoman Wenten and Benjamin Champion

 

RATNA SARI

Just like each jewel on a sparkling necklace, every island on the Indonesian archipelago has
its own personality and culture to create one shining whole. To reflect this, the dance draws upon dance style from different Indonesian region. Its name Ratna Sari translate to “essence of jewel” and alludes to the similarity of Indonesia’s strings of islands as a string of jewels. The dance is accompanied by the short traditional gamelan composition, SAYUK (“Together in Harmony).

Dancers: Tri Martodikromo, Dira Saphira LeSher, Aimee Thostenson, and Anne Von Bibra

 

MANYAR SEWU

Manyar Sewu means “thousand weaver birds.” The composition conveys a festive feel, metaphorically recalling a thousand birds flying in the sky in a smooth and balanced rhythm. This piece is also used to accompany dance or wayang kulit shadow puppetry. The accompanying lyrics added recently, describes a person who is pious, diligent, friendly, and devoted to parents and teachers.

 

PEMUT (‘a reminder’)

This piece was composed by Joko Sutrisno in 2007. The dance, choreographed by Tri S. Martodikromo, presents a fusion of dance styles including Middle Eastern, Salsa, Balinese, and Javanese. The lyrics of the chorus were composed specifically for this performance.

Dancers: Tri Martodikromo, Dira Saphira LeSher, Aimee Thostenson, and Anne Von Bibra

 

BUBURAN UDAN MAS

The word bubar means “to disperse, go home.” In Java, a gamelan concert often concludes with a bubaran: a final piece that signals the end of the performance.. A bubaran sends the audience off with the joyful music of gamelan music ringing in their hearts.

 

About the ensemble:
Gamelan has been one of the main and most important expressions of Javanese society since 404 AD. The word gamelan refers to a set of musical instruments, from the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made of tuned gongs, gong chimes (racks of small gongs), and metal-keyed instruments of various sizes. A performing gamelan ensemble will also include drums, xylophones, fiddles, flutes, and zithers, as well as singing (both solo and chorus).

 

Gamelan instruments serve one of three musical functions: those that provide the time structure, those that state the melody, and those that elaborate upon the melody. A gamelan varies from eight to over twenty-five instruments and players, depending on the occasion and setting. The chiming, bell-like sound texture is like no other, and is notably identifiable with Indonesia. Some repertoire played by today’s groups is traditional, but gamelan is not a museum tradition; contemporary composers continually supply new repertoire, integrating influences from sources worldwide. A complete gamelan is made up of instruments of two distinct tuning systems, laras pelog and laras slendro, with at least one common tone. Tonight/s performance uses only the slendro- tuned set of instruments.

 

By maintaining, preserving, developing, and studying gamelan music, our hope is that gamelan music can remain a means of connecting individuals within our larger community. Our goal is for students and members to discover and strengthen their own identity, and that we all can play a role in creating hamemayu hayuning bawono, peace and harmony in this world.

 

 

The UCLA Music of Java (ETHMUS 91H & 161H) is offered during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters as a course in the Department of Ethnomusicology , meeting on Thursdays 11-2 pm. The course is open to all students and no prior experience is required. Please reach out to Joko Sutrisno (joko.gamelan@gmail.com) with questions or for more information.

 

ETHNMUS 91H Music of Java Students
Eden Amsellem
Jasmine Bailey
Stephanie Choi
Lily Crook
Daniel Harris
Leila Johnson
Johanna Liu
Onny Marwayana
Isabela Presti
Samantha Reavis
Crystal Joanna
Viet Vo
Fay Widjaja
Maya Wood

 

ETHNMUS 161H Music of Java Students
Daniel Branham
Dean Dickow
Adita Farahiyah
Zephania Hartjo
Miki Miyashita
Seima Mogi
Yuka Nakayama
Zivana Ongko
Yuga Saito

 

Minnesota Sumunar Dance Ensemble
Dira Saphira LeSher
Tri S Martodikromo
Aimee Thostenson
Anne Von Bibra

LA Ngesti Budoyo Gamelan & Dance Ensemble
Dancers:
Benjamin Champion
I. Nyoman Wenten

 

Musicians:
Amirah Ali
Kimberly Clair
Andrea Decker
Geoff Dent
Alice Hunt
Tiara Hutapea
Lona Hutapea Tanasale
Stephanie Kao
Kayle Khanmohamed
Mel Liu
Mei Manzo
Mindarti McLean
Woro Mustiko Siwi
Steve Saute

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
The Indonesian Consulate General of Los Angeles for sponsoring us to provide dinner to the performers.

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Music of Armenia Ensemble

Armen Adamian, Director

 

Շարականներ – Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց (362-440)

Անկանիմ առաջի քո, Յամենայն ժամ, Բազում են քո գթութիւնքդ 

 

Sharakan – Mesrob Mashtots (362-440)

Ankanim Araji Ko, Hamenayn Jham, Bazum En Ko Gtutyunkd

 

Գողթան մանկտի – ժող. Գողթ, փոխանցել է Հայրիկ Մուրադյանը (1905-1999)  

Goghtan Mankti – folk, passed down by Hayrik Muradyan (1905-1999)   

 

Խլբանէ – ժող. Վասպուրական, փոխանցել է Հայրիկ Մուրադյանը (1905-1999) 

Khlbane – folk, Vaspurakan, passed down by Hayrik Muradyan (1905-1999)    

 

Դլէ յաման – ժողովրդական  

Dle Yaman – folk

 

Սարի աղջիկ – ժողովրդական

Sari Aghjik – folk

 

Թռնոցի – ժող. Վան. գրառումը` Կոմիտասի Վարդապետ (1869-1935) 

Trnotsi – folk, Van. transcribed by Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) 

 

Աղջիկ էկավ բուլանըխա – ժող. Բուլանուխ, Տարոն

Aghjik Ekav Bulan@kha – folk, Bulanukh, Taron 

 

Երանգի – Կոմիտաս (1869-1935) 

Yerangi – Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935)  

 

Քամանչա – Սայաթ Նովա (1712-1795)

Kamancha – Sayat Nova (1712-1795)

 

Նազանի – Սայաթ Նովա (1712-1795)

Nazani – Sayat Nova (1712-1795)

 

Սարերի հովին մեռնեմ – ժողովրդական 

Sareri Hovin Mernem – folk

 

Քուն եղիր բալաս – Բարսեղ Կանաչեան (1885-1967)

Kun Yeghir Balas – Parsegh Ganatchian (1885-1967)

 

Հաբըրբան – ժող, Տարոն  

Habrban – folk, Taron   

 

Արտ մը ունիմ – ժող, Բութանիա. գրառումը` Միհրան Թումաճանի (1890-1973)

Art m@ Unim – folk, Bithynia. transcribed by Mihran Toumajan (1890-1973)

 

Հելէ հելէ – ժող, Մուսա լեռ

Hele hele – folk, Musa Ler

 

Ցորեն եմ ցանէ – ժողովրդական 

Tsoren Em Tsane – folk 

 

Ania Baghoomian -vocals
Loussi Bedrosian – vocals
Mary Sekayan – vocals
Jenny Kouyoumdjian – vocals
Isabelle Kouyoumdjian – vocals

Hayk Gargaloyan – duduk
Mickey Hashim – shvi
Sona Nalbandian – kamancha
Armen Adamian – dhol, daf