Rachel Cooper — Founder
Director, Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives, Asia Society
Founded Gamelan Sekar Jaya: 1979
Michael Tenzer — Founder
Professor, Department of Music, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Founded Gamelan Sekar Jaya: 1979
Jim Hogan — Founding Member
California Youth Symphony, Executive Director
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 1983
Debbie Lloyd — Board Chair
Gregory Ghent — Board Member
Art Appraiser: Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 2003
Eric Crystal — Board Member
Vice Chair, Center for Southeast Asia Studies (Retired)
U.C. Berkeley (l986-2000), Ph.D. Anthropology
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board in 1990
Todd Greenspan — Treasurer
Director, Academic Planning, Office of the President, University of California
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 1998
Rose Nisker — Member Co-President / Ex-officio Board Member
Les Aerielles Performance Troupe, Asst. Artistic Director
BA UCLA World Arts and Cultures
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 2012
Evan Gilman — Co-President / Ex-officio Board Member
Blue Bottle Coffee
BA Interdisciplinary Visual Arts; Art History; UW, 2005
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 2012
Anna Deering — Vice President / Ex-officio Board MemberEllen Perlman — Co-Secretary / Ex-officio Board Member
Freelance Editor
MA University of Michigan, Southeast Asian Studies
Joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya Board: 2012
EMIKO SARASWATI SUSILO — Director
Joined the Staff in 2011
Emiko, the daughter of esteemed Javanese musician Hardja Susilo and arts presenter Judy Mitoma, was surrounded by great artists from a young age. Emiko received her Bachelor of the Arts degree in Anthropology at UC Berkeley, and went on to study music and dance at STSI Denpasar through the Darma Siswa program. She received her Master’s degree in Asian Studies and a Certificate of Completion for South East Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Emiko is a founding member of Gamelan Cudamani, a Balinese arts school and performing company dedicated both to the study of traditional Balinese arts. Associate Director of the company, she is responsible for organizing Cudamani's international projects, and for developing and overseeing curriculum for Cudamani's music and dance programs. Emiko joined Gamelan Sekar Jaya as a student in 1991, and is currently is Company Director through June 2012.
SARA GAMBINA BELKNAP — General Manager
Joined the Staff in 2006
Sara has held a management position with Gamelan Sekar Jaya for over five years. Sara received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology degree with honors in 2003 from UC Berkeley, with a focus on cultural anthropology and ethnographic video making. Within her professional career, she is committed to serving the public through programs that are not-for-profit, at their core collaborative, cross-cultural, empowering, educational, and serve these basic principles: preserve cultural heritage; innovate within living artistic traditions; and engage dialogue and diplomacy across ethnic, national, and gender lines via arts education and outreach.
ROSE NISKER — Assistant Manager
Joined the Staff in 2012
Rose Nisker has been performing Balinese and other dance styles for more than twenty-five years. At the age of eight, she made her debut dance performance with Gamelan Sekar Jaya at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, and has performed in four tours to Indonesia, EXPO '86 Vancouver, and the World Festival of Sacred Music at the Hollywood Bowl. Rose also has extensive experience studying and performing Bharata Natyam (South Indian Classical Dance), Flamenco, and Aerial arts. She received her BA in Dance Ethnology at the University of California at Los Angeles, and has studied abroad in India, Bali and Spain. She is currently a teacher at Trapeze Arts, a performer with Les Aerielles, and Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
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