Gamelan Padhang Moncar Teachers

Budi Surasa Putra

Our current teacher, Budi, graduated in karawitan (performing arts) from the Performing Arts Academy (STSI) in Solo, Java in 1994. A specialist in vocals, he is featured on recordings of two of Jack Body’s compositions combining Western instruments with a Javanese vocalist: Palaran on the CD Poems of Love and War with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; and Campur Sari (with the NZ String Quartet) on the CD Pulse.

Budi has been in Wellington since 1996, directing gamelan performance at the university and at the Indonesian embassy. He is our third gamelan teacher employed by the Indonesian Embassy since 1983. Under Budi’s guidance, the group has continued to develop its performing skills and repertoire, leading the group with Jack Body on three tours to Indonesia in 2002, 2007 and 2013.

Gamelan Budi Gamelan Wellington

 

Previous Teachers

Our first teacher was Yono Sukarno who assisted Allan Thomas in teaching the gamelan group in the late 1970s. In 1987, Eddy Pursurbaryanto, a dhalang, taught the group for a time while he was in New Zealand as a student. We have been fortunate to have the support of the Indonesian Embassy in providing three expert  Javanese gamelan teachers since 1983.

Specialist Javanese musicians supported by the embassy have been:

Midiyanto

Widiyanto In 1984

Widiyanto demonstrating gamelan at Whangaehu marae in June 1984

Midiyanto (known to us as Widiyanto) was our first Indonesian teacher of gamelan (1983-1984). From Wonogiri, Midiyanto is skilled as both a musician and dalang. He has since taught and performed in the United States and Australia.

He currently teaches at UC Berkeley and performs all over the Asia-Pacific region.

 

 

 

Joko Sutrisno

Jack Body And Joko Sutrisno

Jack Body And Joko Sutrisno (Photo: John Casey, VUW Photographer, 16 March 1989)

 

Joko Sutrisno was our Javanese gamelan teacher from 1988 to 1995. During this time, Gamelan Padhang Moncar concentrated mainly on touring and festivals such as the Asia Pacific Festivals and the Sonic Circuses. There were regular tours of New Zealand which focused the group on one concert repertoire for some time before the tour. With Jack Body, Joko led our first tour to Indonesia in 1993/4.

A speciality of Joko was the creation of “Penataan”, an arrangement of traditional pieces into a continuous suite. He was an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota and directed the gamelan ensemble for the Sumunar foundation, where his wife Tri Supartini was the dance director. They are currently living and teaching in Los Angeles, California.

Guests

Gamelan Padhang Moncar has worked with many guest dhalang, composers and musicians including:

  • master puppeteer Joko Susilo
  • Javanese musicians Hardjo Susilo and Rahayu Suppanggah
  • Balinese musician I Wayan Sadra
  • West Sumatran rabab player Rafiloza
  • West Javanese drummer Agus Supriawan
  • American composers Lou Harrison, Jody Diamond, Elaine Barkin and Barbara Benary
  • German composer Dieter Mack