Indonesian Dance, Music Performance Planned

April 11, 2005 Issue

Pitt artist-in-residence and choreographer Ati Sumiati (left) instructs two Pitt students in Indonesian dance in preparation for the annual University Gamelan Ensemble Concerts, at 8 p.m. April 15 and 16 in the Bellefield Hall Auditorium. Students Dorcinda Knauth (center) and Brandi Neal (right), pursuing graduate degrees in ethnomusicology and historical musicology, respectively, will perform with Sumiati at the event. They will dance to the music of the gamelan, a collection of large and small gongs, chimes, metal-keyed instruments, and drums, used throughout West Java, Indonesia. Pitt obtained its first gamelan in 1995. Tony Lydgate, a woodworker and aficionado of world music, has donated a second hand-crafted gamelan to the University, and both will be used at the performances. Sumiati’s husband, composer Ismet Ruchimat, also a Pitt artist in residence, is the other featured artist. The 12 members of the University Gamelan Ensemble include Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University students as well as individuals from the community. Concert tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for students, and free to Pitt students. Call 412-624-4125 for more information.

—Sharon S. Blake