In July, 2010, Sumunar members did a two-week tour of central and western Java visiting four major cities: Jakarta, Bandung, Surakarta, and Yogyakarta. The group gave about a dozen performances at universities, theaters, civic centers, and on national public radio.
The study tour was the fulfillment of a long-time dream for the Sumunar organization. The objectives for the project were the following:
1. To experience gamelan and dance performance in its Indonesian environment to better understand and appreciate it both artistically and culturally.
2. To learn from and collaborate with various Indonesian performing groups through performance exchanges, observations and discussions.
3. To make connections that will lead to ongoing collaborative projects, both in Indonesia and in the United States.
The performance repertoire the Sumunar Ensemble took to Indonesia included arrangements of American song material that could be performed in collaboration with Indonesian groups. In these pieces--including “Wondrous Love,” “Foundation,” “Holy Manna,” and “Shady Grove,” the language, melodies, and vocal style are clearly Western, while the tuning, instrumentation, and overall musical sound are distinctly Indonesian. The combination of cultural elements is soon clear to listeners.
Developing these musical arrangements was a long and painstaking process for Music Director Joko and the colleagues who assisted. First came determining which Western musical elements would be compatible. Next came fitting these into the traditional frameworks of gamelan structure. The aesthetic concerns of musical complementarity and contrast affected these decisions as well. Negotiation and compromise were necessary throughout the process.
The process of developing these arrangements may be used to illustrate our vision for achieving the third objective of the study tour. Like a good friendship, successful artistic collaboration depends on cultivating shared values of respect, trust, and a desire to fully comprehend that which is different. Each side must step outside itself and learn to understand the other’s musical language. This requires a willingness to be flexible, to expand the usual boundaries. The result is an enriched mutual under-standing, not only of the other’s musical culture but of the human culture surrounding it. And like friendship, the vital bonds of love and trust are strengthened immeasurably. For Sumunar, Indonesian gamelan and dance play a crucial role in creating a positive space in which people can understand one another and build connections that inspire new forms of creativity, even beyond the artistic realm. New ideas and projects come to life because of the connections we have made together as musicians and dancers. In this sense, learning these art forms is a meaningful starting point for other forms of collaboration and innovation. And all of this takes practice!
The Sumunar study tour of Java was inspired by this ideal. Our intent was to deepen the commitment to artistic collaboration by interacting closely with teachers and performers through observation, performance and discussion. The tour was seen as the first stage in a longer-term collaborative effort between Sumunar and Indonesian artists and teachers. With ideas generated from many sources, we hope to collaborate in projects that will find fruitful development in Minnesota, in Indonesia, and ideally, in both.
For many of us, the highlight of the trip was an appearance at the International Gamelan Festival in Yogyakarta. An audience of at least a thousand young people gave the gamelan musicians and dancers an enthusiastic response to their performance, which featured a remarkable combination of multicultural, international, ecumenical and creative music.
Here are some video clips from the trip including a couple featuring the students from the University of Muhammadiyah singing a traditional American folk tune arranged for gamelan and choir by Joko Sutrisno and Bruce Kramer. There's also a beautiful dance performance by dancers from ISI (Institute Seni Indonesia) below.
Shady Grove-Yogyakarta from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
During a performance in Karanganyar, the mayor, who is a trained singer and danger, joined Sumanar in the Gambyong Pangkur dance. Soon her staff also joined in to create a spontaneous, truly multicultural, cooperative event.
Pangkur Performance in Karanganyar from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
Here are the Sumunar dancers in Surung Dhayung
Surung Dahyung from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
And here's a performance of Pambuko, composed by Joko Sutrisno, at STSI-the school for arts in Bandung, Indonesia
Pambuko-STSI from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
Here's another clip from the Yogya International Gamelan Festival featuring the choir from the University of Muhammadiyah.
Wondrous Love-Java Trip from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
Here's a performance of Caping from Sragen City.
Caping from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
Here are dancers from ISI (the Institute for Arts) in Surakarta
ISI dance performance from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
Here's a short video of a visit to the gong factory in Solo where most of our gamelan sets were made.
A visit to the Gong factory from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.
