The most celebrated gamelan ensemble outside of Bali, Gamelan Sekar Jaya has spent four decades forging deep and abiding ties to the art form’s greatest Indonesian practitioners. This concert features the world premiere of Sudamala, a new work from internationally acclaimed Balinese-American composer I Dewa Putu Berata. Sudamala, supported by a Gerbode Foundation Special Award in the Arts, is a musical prayer for healing in this global age of sickness. The work explores the Balinese spiritual concept of Tri Hita Karana (divinity, humanity, nature), emphasizing the commonalities and discontinuities of creating and performing with local artists as a Balinese composer in the Bay Area. Sudamala also features new choreography from Sekar Jaya’s 2022 Guest Dance Director Emiko Saraswati Susilo and a guest appearance from Rashidi Omari of Oakland’s Destiny Arts. Following Sudamala, Sekar Jaya’s dancers and gamelan gong kebyar, the company’s flagship ensemble, presents a new work from 2022 Guest Music Director and artist-in-residence, I Dewa Putu Rai.

This program is supported in part by:

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