About
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Sekaa Gong Tirta Sinar (Tirta Sinar Gamelan Club) performs both traditional and modern, sacred and secular Balinese instrumental and dance items from the varied repertoires of Bali’s more-than-twenty distinct gamelan genres, including the prevalent and highly popular gamelan gong kebyar, as well as the less commonly heard gamelan palegongan and gamelan semar pagulingan.
The group formed in October 1992 when the Australian Museum (Sydney) acquired a new set of gamelan gong kebyar instruments, commissioned and built at the Gabeleran foundry (Sidha Karya) in the Balinese village of Blahbatuh. The instruments include bronze metallophones and gongs, cowhide drums and bamboo flutes, played with an exciting and often unpredictable variance in mood, volume and tempo. A key sonic feature of the ensemble is the very slight, yet intentional ‘out-of-tuneness’ of the many bronze-keyed instrument pairs, which combined create the oft-remarked shimmering or pulsating effect so characteristic of the sound of a Balinese gamelan.
Since its foundation, Tirta Sinar has met on a weekly basis for large and small group practice sessions, firstly at the Australian Museum (1992-1997), where the instruments were housed on permanent display, and now at the Old Darlington School, University of Sydney. Since 2006, Tirta Sinar has also been practising and performing at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, which bought a specially commissioned semaradana gamelan that year from the Sidha Karya foundry in Bali.
Sekaa Gong Tirta Sinar (Tirta Sinar Gamelan Club) performs both traditional and modern, sacred and secular Balinese instrumental and dance items from the varied repertoires of Bali’s more-than-twenty distinct gamelan genres, including the prevalent and highly popular gamelan gong kebyar, as well as the less commonly heard gamelan palegongan and gamelan semar pagulingan.
The group formed in October 1992 when the Australian Museum (Sydney) acquired a new set of gamelan gong kebyar instruments, commissioned and built at the Gabeleran foundry (Sidha Karya) in the Balinese village of Blahbatuh. The instruments include bronze metallophones and gongs, cowhide drums and bamboo flutes, played with an exciting and often unpredictable variance in mood, volume and tempo. A key sonic feature of the ensemble is the very slight, yet intentional ‘out-of-tuneness’ of the many bronze-keyed instrument pairs, which combined create the oft-remarked shimmering or pulsating effect so characteristic of the sound of a Balinese gamelan.
Since its foundation, Tirta Sinar has met on a weekly basis for large and small group practice sessions, firstly at the Australian Museum (1992-1997), where the instruments were housed on permanent display, and now at the Old Darlington School, University of Sydney. Since 2006, Tirta Sinar has also been practising and performing at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, which bought a specially commissioned semaradana gamelan that year from the Sidha Karya foundry in Bali.
The founding leader and director of Tirta Sinar is Gary Watson (a Masters graduate in Music from the University of Sydney), whose annual visits to Bali between 1988 and 2001 to study with his teacher, the late celebrated gamelan composer and performer Bapak I Wayan Gandra of Peliatan village, and more recently with I Dewa Berata and I Dewa Rai at the Sanggar Cudamani in Pangosekan village (Ubud) have helped to maintain the quality of music learned and performed by the group here in Sydney.
Throughout its nearly 20-year history, individual members of Tirta Sinar have also made frequent visits to Bali to study with respected exponents of this lively artform, and in December 2010, the entire group spent ten days in Bali rehearsing with members of Sanggar Cudamani, culminating in a collaborative performance of music and dance for the local community of Pangosekan village.
Sekaa Gong Tirta Sinar wishes to thank The Australian Museum for the use of its gamelan gong kebyar and Sydney Conservatorium of Music for the use of its gamelan gong semaradana for its rehearsals and performances.
The group rehearses every Wednesday at both the Old Darlington School, University of Sydney, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Prospective members are always welcome to attend. Please go to Contact page for further information.
Members
Gary Watson [leader]
Clive Cooper
Roger Gilchrist
Gregory Gould
Ian Lo
Ratna Parwitasari
Jonathan Yang
The group rehearses every Wednesday at both the Old Darlington School, University of Sydney, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Prospective members are always welcome to attend. Please go to Contact page for further information.
Members
Gary Watson [leader]
Clive Cooper
Roger Gilchrist
Gregory Gould
Ian Lo
Ratna Parwitasari
Jonathan Yang