The Gamelan Ensemble of the New York Indonesian Consulate in concert at Vassar, March 26

The Gamelan Ensemble of the New York Indonesian Consulate will bring a bit of Java to Poughkeepsie when it presents the music and dance of Java in Skinner Recital Hall at Vassar College on Sunday, March 26, at 3 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Among the highlights of the program will be performances by Javanese dancer Sukarji Sriman and the world premiere of "Gendhing Sumunar," a new gamelan composition by I.M. Harjito, guest director of the ensemble. A Javanese gamelan is a 35 piece orchestra of hanging and racked gongs, metallophones, wooden xylophone, drums, bowed fiddle, and zither.The ensemble plays interlocking melodic parts in syncopated rhythmic patterns. "Gendhing Sumunar" displays the different dynamics of the gamelan as it proceeds from a slow and stately pace to breakneck speed.Sukarji Sriman is on the faculty of the Jakarta Institute of the Arts. I.M. Harjito is a musician of great renown in Indonesia, and is considered one of the leading exponents of the classical gamelan tradition known as karawitan.

For additional information, call the Department of Music at (845) 437-7294. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations may contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Vassar, founded in 1861, is a residential, coeducational, liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., located in the scenic Hudson River Valley.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Sunday, March 26th, 2000.