Hailing from the islands of Java and Bali in the Republic of Indonesia, gamelan music incorporates bronze gongs, a variety of bronze percussion, the rebab (bowed lute), kendhang (drums), gambang (wooden percussion), pesindhèn (vocalist), and gèrong (chorus). The Yale University Gamelan Ensemble presents a performance of music in the Central Javanese style, specifically that of the city of Surakarta and surrounding villages. The concert is modeled on a klenèngan, or a Javanese semiformal gathering to play gamelan music among friends and for the community. These events progress from serene and dignified pieces to more lively and joyful ones.  

Generously sponsored by the Gallery’s Martin A. Ryerson Lectureship Fund, The Tauxe Family, and the Yale Council on Southeast Asia Studies. Offered in conjunction with the exhibition Nusantara: Six Centuries of Indonesian Textiles.