Gamelan in the Garden 2024:
Full Program
1:00 PM Gamelan Jegog Great Meadow
Originally found only in the Jembrana region of west Bali, gamelan jegog consists of giant bamboo instruments arranged in a four note scale, demonstrating the wide array of musical techniques that can be developed within a limited tonal range. The Jegog ensemble is led by I Gede Oka Artha Negara and coordinated by Ben Zadan and Jason Straussman. The dance ensemble is led by I Made Suteja and coordinated by Monali Varaiya.
Teruntungan Damar Hyang - “Light of Heaven” - In the jegog tradition, each group maintains an opening piece intended to summon the audience and receive a blessing from God while warming up the bamboo. Damar Hyang is Sekar Jaya’s newest piece in this style, performed for the first time this season.
Gopala - “Black-Maned Horse” is named after the horse used in battle by Raden Pata, a Javanese sultan. The title is a fitting image for the work's dazzling array of musical and orchestral techniques and its unbridled energy. Gopala was composed by I Nyoman Ridia. Danced by I Made Suteja, Shoko Yamamuro, and Monali Varaiya.
Makepung - “Buffalo Race” - Buffalo races are commonly found in west Bali, accompanied by live jegog music. Mekepung was composed by I Ketut Suwentra, father of our guest teacher I Gede Oka Artha Negara.
Malu - World premiere! Malu was composed by Sekar Jaya ensemble member Ben Zadan in 2024. Malu is the Indonesian word for shy. Some confident performers can be quite shy when they're offstage. And some people act confident as a "performance" to overcome their shyness. When a person realizes they're simply performing, they may go through a process of self-discovery to become their authentic selves. "Malu" is about overcoming shyness, going beyond our comfort zone, transforming and becoming ourselves.
Joged - Joged is a style of social dance with audience participation. The dance may have originated in North Bali, but is now popular all over the island. Danced by I Made Suteja.
Beleganjur - Balinese processional music featuring drums and cymbals, commonly heard at cremation ceremonies.
Jegog and Beleganjur Musicians: Andy Gold, Ben Zadan, Colum Keelaghan, Dillon Ingram, Heather Sansky, Jason Straussman, Junichi Shimaoka, Liza Dalby, Megan Hewitt, Paddy Sandino, Phil Cox, Richard Jensen, Samuel Wantman, Tim Black, Tony Marsili
4:00 PM Gamelan semar pegulingan celebration garden
Gamelan semar pegulingan is a Balinese ensemble from the 17th century that is coming back into fashion for modern composers. Named for the Hindu God of love, Semar, this ensemble was originally played outside the sleeping chambers of Balinese royalty. The ensemble’s seven tones allow for an extensive range of modes and moods. The semar pegulingan ensemble is led by Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti and coordinated by Pete Steele and Yona Edell. The dance ensemble is led by I Made Suteja and coordinated by Monali Varaiya.
Tari Rerejangan Bungan Gamel - Rerejangan is a new work both composed and choreographed by our 2023-2024 Guest Music Director, Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti, originally written for the selonding ensemble and here modified for semar pegulingan. In a reversal of the usual process for composition and choreography, in this piece the movements of the dancers respond to the music, which was composed before the choreography was set. The dancers touch the gamelan and take their energy and breath from the instruments. Danced by Amia Steele, Casey Lee, Feby Boediarto, Lisa Ho, Melati Citrawireja, and Monali Variaya.
Cecanangan - Cecanangan is a contemporary piece composed by I Dewa Ketut Alit in the early 2000s. This piece makes use of the semar pegulingan ensemble’s seven pitches through extensive modulation through different modes. Cecanangan borrows musical ideas from the traditional repertoire of Bali’s other musical ensembles, including gamelan angklung, luang, selonding, and gong kebyar.
15 minute intermission
“Perang Undur-Undur” (The Battle of Retreat): Balinese Gambuh Dance Drama
“Perang Undur-Undur” is a fragment from an ancient series of stories cataloging the adventures of a heroic prince named Panji. These stories form the basis for Balinese Gambuh dance-drama, a tradition dating back to the 16th century. Usually, Gambuh is performed with a special flute and percussion ensemble. Sekar Jaya has adapted the tradition for performance by our gamelan semar pegulingan.
Imagine the world of medieval Java living in the backdrop of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and local mythology. Distances were large to travel and communication took longer. The royal courts had neighboring kingdoms and personnel of princesses, kings, ministers, and their assistants at their sides. The characters and archetypes come to life in the play.
I. Condong: Caretakers to the King
Our story begins on the protagonists' side in the kingdom of Gegelang. The king's caretakers and attendants prepare to leave for a pilgrimage to conduct an important religious offering on the nearby mountain.
II. The Hero Panji and his Attendants
Meanwhile, prince Panji, the hero in this story, is on his way to the mountain with his closest servants and ministers when he meets an old man, who warns him of the rival King Prabu Gebelan’s plot.
III. Prabu and his Army
Next, we visit the antagonists in the Gebalan kingdom, where King Prabu Gebelan is speaking with his ministers. Years earlier, King Prabu Gebelan was insulted when his request to marry a princess from Gegelang’s palace was denied. So, when Prabu heard about his rival’s pilgrimage to the holy mountain, he and his ministers conjur up a plan to get revenge while the palace is vulnerable. We first meet Demang and Tumenggung, a humorous pair of ministers, and then the stronger Arya ministers. Finally, the mighty king Prabu, full of jealousy and trickery, is introduced with a foreboding tune called Godeg Miring.
IV. Prabu's Army Travels to Gegelang Palace
After deliberating, Prabu and his drunk cohorts decide to ride their horses and storm the empty palace, steal riches, and throw a big feast to get revenge.
V. Prabu's Feast and Final Battle with Panji
In the exciting finale, Prince Panji and his entourage, who are nearby, hear the mayhem of the invasion and rush over to defend their unprotected palace. They strategically fight while backing up until Prabu and his men unknowingly follow them outside the palace where they can be dealt with without soiling the palace’s sacred ground.
Ultimately, the battle ends and Panji heroically slays Prabu. Panji is then rewarded by the King of Gegelang for his good deed in protecting the palace.
Music composed and arranged for Semar Pagulingan by Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s guest music director, Ni Nyoman Sraya Murtikanti, adapted from Gambuh suling and semar pagulingan music from Desa Batuan, Bali, and working in close conjunction with guest dance director I Made ‘Cat’ Suteja.
I Made Suteja………….…..King of Gegelang, King Prabu Gebalan, Panji’s attendant Semar, Prabu’s minister Arya
Shoko Yamamuro………...The Hero Panji, Arya
Casey Lee…………….…….Condong
Feby Boediarto……………Condong
Jeffrey Gan……….….…….Panji’s attendant Kadian-Kadian
Katie Harrell……...……….Prabu’s minister Deman
Verena Lee…………….….Prabu’s minister Tumenggung
Anya Rome……….………Prabu’s minister Arya
Monali Varaiya…………Prabu’s minister Arya
Jacob Walse Domínguez….Old man
Gamelan Semar Pegulingan musicians: Bea Deering, Carla Fabrizio, Dillon Ingram, Edgar Servais, Evan Gilman, I Putu Arya Deva Suryanegara, Junichi Shimaoka, Kathryn Erskine, Ken Worthy, Mallory Servais, Mica Steele, Paul Miller, Peregrine McGehee, Pete Steele, Phil Cox, Ray Fabrizio, Sam Aguilar, Sarah Willner, Solomon Alber, Steve Johnson, Susanna Miller Benningfield, Todd Greenspan, Tom Deering, Yona Edell
Audience Survey
Thank you for attending Gamelan in the Garden 2024! Please help us improve our programs in the future by answering this short audience survey: https://forms.gle/Bsc1TFrjALbeLzgF6
Featured Artists
Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti | Spring 2024 Guest Music Director
Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti has studied Balinese arts since childhood with some of Bali’s most highly regarded musicians, including I Ketut Cater and I Made Subandi. She recently completed her master’s degree in composition from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Surakarta. She is also the head of Sanggar S’Mara Murti, and was featured as a guest speaker in Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s 2020 Bali’s Living Arts speaker series.
I Made Suteja | Spring 2024 Guest Dance Director
I Made Suteja comes from a line of acclaimed masters in the arts of Topeng and Gambuh dance in Batuan, Bali. He began studying dance under his father, I Made Bukel, who in turn learned from his father, one of Bali’s most famous performers, I Nyoman Kakul. Starting in 2004, Pak Suteja began specializing in the Topeng and Gambuh traditions of his family’s dance school, Sanggar Satriya Lelana Batuan, and is now a frequent performer of Topeng Pajegan (ceremonial solo masked dance performances).
I Gede Oka Artha Negara | Jegog Director
I Gede Oka Artha Negara is an accomplished composer, musician, choreographer and dancer from West Bali. Previously the Associate Artistic Director of Gamelan Suar Agung, one of the finest and most influential Jegog ensembles in Bali, he moved to California in 2011, where he founded Gamelan Artha Negara. Gamelan Artha Negara and Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s jegog ensemble are two of only a few such ensembles outside of Bali.
ABOUT GAMELAN SEKAR JAYA
Gamelan Sekar Jaya, an internationally acclaimed group of musicians and dancers, has made the performing arts of Bali its specialty for more than forty years. Founded in 1979 by I Wayan Suweca, Rachel Cooper, and Michael Tenzer, the group has presented hundreds of concerts throughout California and on tours around the United States as well as to Canada, Mexico, and Bali itself. Sekar Jaya is committed not only to traditional repertoire but to innovative new work: It has sponsored the creation of more than sixty major works for gamelan, dance, and theater, created both by the Balinese artists who have joined the ensemble as guest directors and by local Indonesian and non-Indonesian artists.
Help sustain and grow Gamelan Sekar Jaya with a tax-deductible donation by visiting gsj.org/support
About Balinese Music and Dance
Gamelan Sekar Jaya performs traditional and contemporary music and dance from Bali, Indonesia. Our ensembles are led by master artists, including artists-in-residence visiting us for a limited time and Balinese and non-Balinese local experts. The ensembles on display today are a few examples of the myriad artistic practices in Bali, each genre with its own instruments, dance styles, and musical flavors.
Contexts for music and dance in Bali include religious ceremonies, community gatherings, and performances purely for entertainment. In this program you’ll find short explanations of the contexts and meanings for each piece and ensemble, but you are encouraged to learn more by speaking with our artists after each performance. For further reading, we recommend Balinese Dance, Drama, & Music: A Guide to the Performing Arts of Bali by Rucina Ballinger and I Wayan Dibia (a member of Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s Board of Directors).
Matur Suksma | Terima Kasih | Thank You
The artwork for Gamelan in the Garden was created by I Made Moja. Poster design by Nova Suselo.
Gamelan in the Garden 2024 is supported by an AIFIS-Luce Small Grant from the American Institute for Indonesian Studies.
Sekar Jaya’s programs are supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the California Arts Council, the Alameda County Arts Commission, the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program, and generous supporters like you.
We would also like to acknowledge:
Ensemble Coordinators: Monali Varaiya (Dance), Pete Steele and Yona Edell (Gong Kebyar), Jason Straussman and Ben Zadan (Jegog)
Officers and Ex-Officio Members of the Board of Directors: Susanna Benningfield (president), Junichi Shimaoka (vice president), Carla Fabrizio (secretary), Todd Greenspan (treasurer)
Board of Directors: Lisa Ho and Suliati Boentaran (co-chairs), Emily Rolph (secretary), I Wayan Dibia, Rachel Cooper, Jim Hogan, Michael Tenzer, Rebecca Selin, N. Bruce Pickering, Suzanne Siskel
Staff: Gillian Eorwyn (Executive Director), Nova Suselo (Program and Administrative Assistant)
Gamelan in the Garden 2024 Volunteers: Anna Deering, Arvian Heidir, Dave Hermeyer, Diego Navarro-Rosas, Ishmael Perez, Jamie Budiana, Kanya Abe, Lia Sims, Lisa Gold, Liza Dalby, Marianna Suselo, Morey Garelick, Ot Sukardi, Steve Lew, Suliati Boentaran, Susie Willemsz-Geeroms, William Lee, Yvonne Wang
And our 2023 Donors:
BALINESE ARTS BENEFACTORS 2023
The Estate of Heide K. Chipp
Janet Koike
Delle Maxwell
Zachary Morrison
Keenan Pepper
The Radiant Fund
John Rogers and Wendy Parkman
Susan and Richard Rolph
Suzanne Siskel
Liz Varnhagen
Samuel Wantman and David Hermeyer
DONORS’ CIRCLE 2023
Anonymous (2)
Alexis Brayton and Neil Renninger
Deborah Brayton
Marjorie Burns
Ambar Briastuti Corbridge and Mark Corbridge
Liza Dalby
Vera Ellwood
Carla Fabrizio
Sara Gaucher
Gregory Ghent
Evan Gilman
Andy Gold and Karen Cutler
Katie Harrell
Jim and Maddie Hogan
Randall and Linda Kirschman
Louis Kraar Memorial Fund
Casey Lee
Nicklaus Lenzmeier
Mudita Nisker and Dan Clurman
Melody Parker
Sappho Ramaley
Galen Rogers and Anya Rome
Emily Rolph
Chris Romero and Jeni Mangels
Junichi Shimaoka
Claudia Steele
Ken Susilo
Nikhil and Manisha Varaiya
Monali Varaiya
Shoko Yamamuro and Peter Steele
Myrth York
PATRONS 2023
Ariana Alisjahbana
Ratih Ayu Apsari
Dennis and Nancy Colbert
Phil Cox and Mithril Tyler
Anna Deering
Todd Greenspan and Lany Soesanto
Lisa Ho
Paula Irwin
Beatrice Katianda
Susan Lamberth
Stephen Lew
Matthew MacGillivray
Peregrine McGehee
Ion Nami Murata
Mark Salvatore
Heather Sansky
Wayne Vitale and Sarah Willner
James Weisner
PARTNERS 2023
Anonymous (3)
The Abe Family
Roger Bailey
Tim Black
Suliati Boentaran
Michael Bushnell
Jeremy and Karen Butler
Ilma Davina Chairani
Melati Citrawireja
Ethan Close
Eric and Cathy Crystal
Brian Dahmen
Tom and Bea Deering
Jody Diamond
Linda Downing
Sonja Downing and I Dewa Ketut Alit Adnyana
Michael Dryfoos and Ilga Jansons
Louis and Marlene Fielder
Elizabeth Finn
Kathy Foley
Michael Friedmann
Antonia Goerss
Lisa Gold and Ben Brinner
Elizabeth Grant
James Harding
Christopher Hasty
Jack Hoffman
Paul Humphreys
Dillon Ingram
David Irons
Nancy and William James
Steve Johnson and Lynda Roti
Marla Kamiya
Dan Kelley
Daniel Kucera
Phoebe Kwan
Deborah Lloyd
Ninik Kunti-Utami Lunde and Nicholas Dierauf
Clarence Magno
Natalie Mall
Paul Miller and Lisa Graciano
Avi Nash
Jodi Nishimura
Oakmont Lifelong Learning
Hyun Joo Park
Elzsa Palar Purdy
Jennifer Radakovich
Larry and Jane Reed
Austin de Rubira
Joseph Paddy Sandino and Rose Nisker
Ronald Scudder
Rebecca Selin and Daniel Yasmin
Catherine Selin
Mallory and Edgar Servais
Harold Steuber
Sharon Stewart
Betty and Don Stone
Priscilla Stoyanof
Sylvia Tiwon
Bonnie Wade
Tom Whitman
Douglas Winter and Catherine Nelson
Andrea Yee
Ben Zadan
Eva-Maria Zimmermann
