Members of Nusantara Arts perform indigenous music from Indonesia using several varieties of gongs and sets of tuned metal instruments that are struck with mallets (Brendan Bannon photo).
This workshop and concert have been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Nusantara Arts, a Gamelan ensemble based in Buffalo and led by SUNY Fredonia graduate Matt Dunning, will conduct an on-stage workshop open to all students and community members – especially young ones – and give a performance on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m., in Rosch Recital Hall.
Gamelan music originates from the island of Java in Indonesia and is one of the oldest continuously played musical art forms in the world, potentially dating back to 230 A.D.
Mr. Dunning, ’06, who majored in History and International Studies, has participated in Indonesian culture and music specifically, since 2006, and lived in Indonesia from 2011 to 2013. As a result of Dunning's energy, Nusantara Arts was born from the growth and success of the Buffalo Gamelan Club originally formed in 2016.
The mission of Nusantara Arts is “To invite our community to an expansive experience in music and art, sparking dialogue about inclusion and cooperation."
Guests are invited to participate in the workshop, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., and strike a gong and feel the deep resonating sounds as they vibrate through one’s body, and then stay for the concert that follows at 4 p.m., said SUNY Distinguished Professor Kay Stonefelt, head of the Percussion Area in the School of Music.
In addition to the workshop and concert, Dunning will present in Music Appreciation and World Music classes. The class sessions will be prepared beforehand by informational homework video assignments produced by Dunning.
The workshop and concert by Nusantra Arts are supported by a grant written by Andrés García Molina, Ph.D., a SUNY PRODiG Fellow in-residence in the School of Music from 2020-2022, and the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities of the Fredonia College Foundation.
