This year's Gamelan Ensemble concert covered a wide range of Indonesian music, from traditional gamelan to Indonesian pop. The above photo shows singer and instrumentalist Rita Tila performing on the kacapi (zither). In the background Samantha Swami plays the peking.
Composer Nano S. (playing the suling) and Rita Tila perform a duet with the Gamelan Ensemble accompanying. Members of the ensemble pictured above are Andrew Weintraub, kendang (Professor of ethnomusicology and director of the Gamelan Ensemble); Ben Pachter, jengglong; Richard Winkler, gong; Kim Frost, peking; Ben Rainey, bonang; and Yuko Eguchi, panerus.
Pitt students had the chance to perform dangdut, a genre of popular music that developed in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta during the late 1960s. This song featured Sachem Clark and Samantha Swami singing. Also pictured are Margot Goldberg (clapping) and Shane Hanlon (bass).
Rita and Nano perform one of Nano's pop Sunda hits, popular music of the Sundanese ethnic group performed with a mixture of Indonesian and western instruments. Think of these two artists as the Indonesian equivalent of Christina Aguilera and Tony Bennett. Accompanying the duo are the Dangdut Cowboys, Pitt's very own Indonesian rock band.
The transformation complete, singer-dancer Ening Rumbini (L) and Rita Tila perform with the Dangdut Cowboys. The Cowboys are (L-R) Mathew Rosenblum, soprano sax (and Chair of the music department); Kavin Paulraj, bass; Ben Pachter, gendang; Andrew Weintraub, rhythm guitar; and Ben Rainey, lead guitar.
Members of the Gamelan Ensemble and audience dance to the music of the Dangdut Cowboys.