Cornish College of the Arts Music Series Presents Gamelan Pacifica & Midiyanto, 5/12

Renowned Javanese gamelan musicians Ki Midiyanto and Gamelan Pacifica are set to perform in a concert of traditional gamelan music from Central Java and new compositions by Ki Midiyanto, Stephen Fandrich, and Jarrad Powell. The performance will be held at PONCHO Concert Hall, May 12th at 8PM. Tickets can be reserved by calling 206.726.5066 or online at www.cornish.edu/musicseries.

Eleventh-generation dhalang (puppetmaster) Ki Midiyanto has performed for over twenty years in Indonesia, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. This renowned Javanese musician was born in Wonogiri, a rural district in the south central part of the island of Java in the nation of Indonesia, Midiyanto went on to study gamelan and shadow puppetry at the Sekolah Tinggi Seni Karawitan (Indonesian Academy of Musical Arts) in Surakarta, Java before venturing abroad to teach and perform. He is currently a Lecturer in Gamelan on the music faculty at the University of California, Berkeley.

For over thirty years Gamelan Pacifica has been at the forefront of creating and performing gamelan music in America. Originally formed in 1980, Gamelan Pacifica has performed extensively in the Pacific Northwest, as well as Canada, and is widely considered among the finest ensembles devoted to the performance of gamelan music in America. An active and adventurous ensemble with a reputation for performing both traditional and contemporary gamelan music, Gamelan Pacifica has played host to some of Indonesia’s most respected artsts including Peni Candra Rini, Rahayu Supanggah, Didik Nini Thowok, Sri Djoko Rahardja, I Made Sidia, Endo Suanda, A.W. Sutrisno, Ki Purbo Asmoro, Ki Midiyanto, Goenawan Mohamad, Tony Prabowo and others. Gamelan Pacifica have been guest performers at the Smithsonian Institute’s Festival of Indonesia, New Music Across America Festival, Vancouver New Music Society, On the Boards, Walker Arts Center, Performing Arts Chicago, and elsewhere. Gamelan Pacifica’s latest recording, Scenes from Cavafy, available on New World Records, features world premiere recordings of three major works by the American composer Lou Harrison. Gamelan Pacifica has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation and Arts International. Gamelan Pacifica is currently supported in part by sustaining funds from the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and 4Culture. Gamelan Pacifica is a professional ensemble-in-residence at Cornish College of the Arts and is directed by Professor Jarrad Powell.

For additional information or images please contact Karen L. Bystrom or Lindsay Walter (see information above) or visit www.cornish.edu.

About Cornish College of the Arts
A pioneer in arts education, Cornish College of the Arts sprang from the remarkable vision of Nellie Cornish, a woman determined to cultivate the arts in Seattle when it was scarcely more than a frontier town. Her philosophy of educating the artist through exposure to all the arts was progressive at the time, and continues to be innovative today. The College offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Art, Dance, Design, Performance Production and Theater, and a Bachelor of Music degree. It is one of three private colleges in the United States focusing on both the performing and visual arts, and the only college of its kind in the Northwest. The College is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

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