Doors at 7:30pm ~ Performance at 8pm

Performance by the gamelan gong kebyar ensemble

Gamelan Sekar Jaya (GSJ) fosters artistic exchange between Bali and the United States through residencies, workshops, performances, and the creation of innovative new works for music and dance. Founded in 1979, the company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in the performing arts of Bali. GSJ has been called “the finest Balinese gamelan outside of Indonesia” by Indonesia’s Tempo Magazine, and the group has performed in venues ranging from New York’s Symphony Space to LA’s Hollywood Bowl to remote village squares in Bali.

Tonight, Sekar Jaya brings their gamelan gong kebyar ensemble to Ashkenaz. The most prevalent type of bronze orchestra in Bali, the gamelan gong kebyar takes its name from the dynamic kebyar style which was born in the early twentieth century-a time of tumultuous political and social change, reflected in music of contrasting moods, and powerful, virtuosic character. This season, Gamelan Sekar Jaya's ensembles are led by master artists-in-residence Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti (music) and Cok Istri Putri Rukmini (dance).