2014

Arrival of the National Concert Hall Gamelan Instruments

The new gamelan instruments arrived from Yogyakarta in January 2014. Rehearsals began in February, with a second group starting in March. Musicians interested in joining either ensemble should e-mail education@nch.ie.

Sultan's Royal Visit

To preside over the naming ceremony of the new National Concert Hall Orchestra, the Sultan of Yogyakarta visited Dublin in September. He was accompanied by his personal palace musicians, who played to repreated standing ovations from a packed concert hall.

The new Dublin gamelan ensembles also performed as part of the weekend's events, performing a programme of both original compositions and traditional Javanese music, with the support of the Royal Palace Gamelan Musicians.

Irish Gamelan in Java

Following the sultan's visit, the Yogyakarta Cultural Office invited me to bring a handful of Irish gamelan musicians to perform a concert of original Irish compositions at the Yogyakarta International Performing Arts Festival in November. Five of us travelled to Java for a week to perform my Bonang Quartet No.1, Sailendra, and Embat, as well as other compositions by members of our ensemble. The programme will be repeated in Dublin in the National Concert Hall on April 17th 2015.

While in Java, I was also invited to participate in the Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival, where my microtonal string trio Trio Scordatura was performed as part of the festival. Recordings of these, and other works, can be heard on my soundcloud page or on the soundcloud player in the top right corner of your screen.