Join Buffalo's new Balinese gamelan music program! Nusantara Arts 6 week courses are designed to get new gamelan players off the ground running.
In Beginner Balinese Gamelan II we build on what we taught in class I and apply it to new Balinese compositions. Beginner II class can be taken on it’s own, or in preparation to join Nusantara Arts Community Balinese Gamelan group, it can be repeated as desired by students.
Sundays from 2pm-3pm
First class October 1st
Last Class – November 5th
Class Fees:
Class Fees are sliding scale to ensure people with any economic status may participate.
For participants age 13 and higher. Beginner Balinese Gamelan I or other prior experience required.
Teacher: Tom Torrisi
Tom is a professional classical guitarist, composer, arranger, and Balinese gamelan musician from Clifton Park, NY. Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Tom has been heard performing throughout the United States and in the UK. Tom is a passionate explorer of non-Western musical styles. This interest has led Tom to extensive involvement with Eastman School of Music’s Balinese gamelan ensembles Gamelan Sanjiwani (gong kebyar) and Gamelan Lila Muni (angklung) and was teaching assistant to gamelan teacher I Nyoman Suadin. Tom is now a core member of Nusantara Arts new Balinese Gamelan program (semar pegulingan and gender wayang styles). Tom is excited to teach his first beginner Balinese music class in Buffalo.
Our Instruments: 7 tone “Semar Pegulingan” style gamelan from Bali are an older “traditional” gamelan ensemble originating in the 1800’s. Unlike Central Java where many types of music are performed on one set of instruments, in Bali you have many different types of ensembles that play specific repertoires. In the Early 20th Century the Semar Pegulingan repertoire and ensemble had disappeared from much of the contemporary Balinese music scene. This ensemble type fell out of favor with the introduction of the “gong kebyar” ensembles. Many Semar pegulingan sets were melted down to create kebyar sets long ago. There is somewhat of an revival of the repertoire in recent times with modern “Smaradana” gamelan sets being built able to play these older songs as well as new Semar Pegulingan sets being built.
