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Sumunar Gamelan and Dance Ensembles,
Klenengan – All-Night Gamelan Performance

Sumunar musicians, Prince Rama’ s Journey, November 2014. Photo Ray Mailoor Photography.

Nanda Sutrisno as the Golden Deer, Prince Rama’ s Journey, November 2014. Photo Ray Mailoor Photography.

Nanda Sutrisno and Sumunar musicians, Prince Rama’ s Journey, November 2014. Photo Ray Mailoor Photography.

Klenengan – All-Night Gamelan Performance

The Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble offers Northern Spark participants a traditional klenengan – an all-night music performance of traditional and contemporary Javanese gamelan music. Klenengan is not a concert per se, but a gathering of musicians playing for hours at a time, often through the night. The audience is an important component because the listeners and the musicians together make the event. For Northern Spark, we will play a number of ghending, the longest and most complicated of gamelan musical structures. These classical pieces can last for an hour and feature both slow, stately music and lively drumming with fast-moving interlocking patterns. The klenengan will also include new work by Joko Sutrisno, director of the Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble. The first half of the evening will feature several pieces choreographed by dance director Tri Sutrisno and performed by the Sumunar Dance Ensemble.

About Sumunar:

The word sumunar means a glowing, brilliant light that is radiant and beautiful, and that illuminates and warms the soul. Dedicated to teaching, performing, and sharing the arts and culture of Indonesia, Sumunar invites you to be a part of the luminous light. Whether you’re enjoying a concert or taking a gamelan class, our goal is to share the rich sounds, stories and traditions of Indonesia with you in an open and relaxed environment.