[Event postponed due to Covid-19.]
Renowned Balinese composer-ethnomusicologist I Wayan Sudirana and his 20-piece ensemble Gamelan Yuganada will present Balinese Gamelan as a living, evolving tradition, performing a spectacular program of sacred classical pieces alongside premieres of new repertoire composed specifically for the Cosmopolis Festival. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this event has been moved online.
Program
- Classical Semara Pegulingan piece
- Neoclassical Pelegongan piece
- New work for New Gender (metallophone ensemble)
- New work for full Yuganada ensemble
Gamelan Yuganada
I Wayan Sudirana, composer and director
Bios
Born in Ubud, Bali, I Wayan Sudirana is one of Indonesia’s most well-known composers. With an international profile as a performer and educator, he is also one of the most recognized professors at the Indonesian Institute for the Arts in Denpasar. After graduating from the Institute, Wayan Sudirana studied at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he received his MA and PhD in Ethnomusicology. He was commissioned by the Canadian government to compose a piece combining Balinese gamelan, Japanese Taiko, and bagpipes, to be performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He has collaborated with renowned composers and other artists, including Michael Tenzer (2003–2013), Andrew Clay McGraw (2006–2010), Peter Michael Steele and Joshep Sandino (2007), Gamelan X, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, New York. Sudirana has authored a book on the future of the Balinese sacred ensemble (2019) and released two albums featuring his own compositions (2019 and 2020).
Gamelan Yuganada is a Balinese gamelan and performing arts ensemble that focuses on traditional and contemporary Balinese music and dance. The group strives to perform and teach at the highest levels of artistry, worthy of its growing international reputation, while remaining equally committed to the children, youths, elders, and master artists that are the heart of our community in Bali. Gamelan Yuganada has collaborated with Jack Morton World Wide to produce a major event for the International Meeting for IBM in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The group has also performed in Korea (World Samulnori Competition 2015), and Malaysia (Kaleidoscope Drumming Festival 2016; George Town Festival, and Taksu Production, 2019; Taksu Ubud with the Titimangsa Foundation, 2020). Gamelan Yuganada has recorded two CDs: New Music for Gamelan by the composer I Wayan Sudirana; and Geguntangan, for ancient Balinese-style vocal ensemble, both released in 2019.
