Gamelan Sekar Jaya Celebrates 40 Years At Harris Center

The most celebrated gamelan ensemble outside of Bali returns with a breathtaking mix of traditional and contemporary Balinese music and dance. Under the direction of internationally renowned gamelan composer and performer I Nyoman Windha and dance master I Nyoman Cerita, the 40-member Bay Area company honors its 40th Anniversary in an evening featuring two distinct music ensembles. Master performer and choreographer Cerita will lead company dancers in ethereal and dramatic pieces highlighting Balinese masked dance. "A heavenly din and transcendent sound from the heart of the world" (London Financial Times).

The two distinct gamelan orchestras are comprised of bronze metallophones, gongs, drums, and flutes, and will include both the delicately sweet sounds of the four-tone gamelan angklung, and the bold interlocking melodies of the gamelan gong kebyar. It's a rare opportunity outside of Bali to experience the wide sonic and orchestral range that resounds from this culturally rich island.

Gamelan Sekar Jaya comes to the Harris Center Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $22-$32; Premium $42. Children & Students with ID $11-$21. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 12 noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Gamelan Sekar Jaya is a 60+ company of musicians and dancers based in the San Francisco Bay Area, 40 of whom will perform in Folsom. The group specializes in Balinese music and dance, ranging from traditional repertoire to cutting-edge compositions, including collaborative work with artists such as The Residents, Pandit Chitresh Das, Clubfoot Orchestra, ShadowLight Productions, and many others.

Internationally-acclaimed, GSJ has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Indonesia-in venues ranging from New York's Symphony Space, to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, to remote village squares throughout Bali. Sekar Jaya was the first non-Balinese gamelan group ever invited to perform at an arts festival on Bali. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Wayne Vitale--a founding member and former director of Gamelan Sekar Jaya-described the experience as " a complete shock on both sides...The Balinese were totally stunned by what we were doing. Our performance was broadcast all over the island, and it was a sensation. It was also kind of a wake-up call. We were foreigners who were passionate about gamelan, when many young people there were more interested in Western music. Traditional dance and music is thriving in Bali now, and we're an important part of that story."

GSJ is the first group outside of Indonesia to ever receive the Dharma Kusuma, Bali's highest award for artistic achievement. The company is renowned for its exploration of traditional and modern forms through long-term residencies with Bali's finest musicians and dancers.

"Sekar Jaya rocks like a wild hog storming through the forest" (Spin).

The Harris Center and Gamelan Sekar Jaya are proud to announce two very special guest artists for the Harris Center program:

Guest Music Director I NYOMAN WINDHA is one of the leading musicians and contemporary composers of Balinese gamelan music whose works are universally admired for their melodic and formal beauty. He was born in the village of Singapadu from the Gianyar regency of Central Bali, where he grew up surrounded by a thriving community of musicians and dancers. Windha has been a resident artist with the Asian Cultural Council, a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship, and has taught and performed in universities and festivals all over the world, including Japan, China, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany. He has been Sekar Jaya's Guest Music Director on several occasions since his initial residency in 1990.

Guest Dance Director I NYOMAN CERITA is one of Bali's most influential choreographers and teachers. He was born in the village of Singapadu from the Gianyar regency of Central Bali, an area renowned for its vibrant dance traditions. He is in demand all over Bali as a choreographer and teacher. His works range from large-scale dance dramas to new works for youth and children. He is also frequently featured artist in the Bali Arts Festival, the island's largest and more renowned festival for performing arts. Cerita has also presented his work internationally at universities in Japan and the United States. He serves as the Head of the Dance Department at ISI Denpasar (Institut Seni Indonesia) and recently completed his PhD at Udayana University.

Also on hand for the Folsom performances will be Master of Ceremonies EMIKO SARASWATI SUSILO is a dancer, vocalist, and choreographer. Susilo began teaching Balinese dance twenty-two years ago and seventeen years ago became a founding member of Çudamani, where she is now Associate Director. She joined GSJ as a student of dance and gamelan in 1991, has since held successful residencies as Guest Dance Director, and has served as Company Director. Her recent choreography, Legong Somya, which took on the Balinese search for spiritual peace after widespread massacres of the 1960s, was premiered to sold-out houses in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Susilo has spent over a decade in Bali working with young women to increase opportunities to play gamelan, a music that in older generations was seen as the realm of men. Her work in Cudamani has resulted in many young women learning and performing gamelan with extraordinary artistry.

Visit the ensemble online at www.gsj.org and https://www.facebook.com/gamelansekarjaya.

To post a comment, you must register and login.