Buffalo Gamelan Club (BGC) has come a long way since core member Matt Dunning first set out to establish the program in Buffalo back in 2015 (see here). At the time, Dunning was trying to raise money to bring his collection of gamelan instruments to Buffalo, from Indonesia where he had been living. After securing the instruments, he set out to look for a home for BGC, where he could play, teach, and perform (see here). That was in 2016.
Fast forward to 2018, and Dunning and his Gamelan tribe have scored a gig at Kleinhans. Yes, the group has gone from rescuing the equipment from Indonesia, to playing at one of the premier music venues in Buffalo. That’s a tremendous accomplishment if you ask me. It’s success stories like this that we can all be proud of.
The group specializes in playing traditional gamelan repertoire as well as forays into modern composition.
“We are bringing in two Javanese guest artists for the show, a drummer and a dancer,” said Dunning. “Our full group of 23 musicians will be taking the stage for two sets of amazing music from Java. We are playing on the main stage, and the audience will also be on the main stage as part of Kleinhans’ new ‘Centerstage Series’. This is absolutely our biggest gig yet, and really this is our first official solo headlining show, everything else we have done has been part of a festival or someone else’s event, so for us it’s a major accomplishment for a group only having existed for a few years… and the music is going to be stunning. This exciting program showcases a variety of traditional Javanese music and dance pieces from the royal Mangkunegaran Palace and the city of Solo.We are also going to have a variety of seating options, including having seats on the floor which is the way you would sit in Java.”
BGC-SRI (Sari Raras Irama) will be joined by Pamardi Tjiptopradonggo, one of the preeminent performers of both refined and strong forms of Javanese dance.
Buffalo Gamelan Club
Kleinhans Music Hall | 3 Symphony Circle | Buffalo, New York 14201
Friday, May 4, 2018
7pm
Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for students.