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Indonesian gamelan masters tour UK universities
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Indonesian gamelan instructor Prasadiyanto teaches gamelan at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow in March. He is in the UK as part of the “Gamelan artist-in-residence” program organized by the Indonesian Embassy in London and the Education and Culture Ministry. (Courtesy of Indonesian Embassy in London /file)
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gamelan maestro from the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Surakarta, Prasadiyanto, is in Glasgow, Scotland, to share knowledge and skills about the traditional Indonesian instrument with students, academics and other communities.
It is part of the “Gamelan artist-in-residence” program organized by the Indonesian Embassy in London and the Education and Culture Ministry.
“The program is aimed at promoting Indonesian culture in the UK,” said education and cultural attaché E. Aminudin Aziz in a press release made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Prasadiyanto’s presence at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow, one of the world’s best art universities, was met with an enthusiastic reception.
Aminudin said Prasadiyanto would be in Scotland for three months to teach gamelan at the RCS. He will also help organize a gamelan concert on June16 and a gamelan composition during the screening of “Setan Jawa” (Javanese Devil), a silent movie by noted director Garin Nugroho.
Several other gamelan instructors will be in the UK to teach gamelan at universities across the country.
There are approximately 150 gamelan sets in the UK.
Promosikan budaya RI,KBRI London & @Kemdikbud_RI datangkan instruktur utk latih #gamelan di univ terpilih UK a.l RoyalConservatoire-Scotland pic.twitter.com/5OhKGx5dgM
— Indonesian Embassy (@KBRILondon) March 28, 2017
(Read also: London hosts gamelan, contemporary music collaboration)
One notable gamelan group in Scotland is Gamelan Naga Mas. Led by RCS teacher and composer J. Simon van der Walt, Gamelan Naga Mas has existed since 1990.
“The unique thing about gamelan is that it has to be played together. There is no soloist. We all have to play together to create the music,” Van der Walt said ahead of a concert in Glasgow last year.
