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June 2, 1997
UCSC Gamelan celebrates 20 years, honors lecturer
More than 600 gamelan lovers were on hand May 16-17 to celebrate the 20th year of the UCSC gamelan program. The gala performances were presented as part of UCSC's Inaugural Concert Series for its new Music Center. The program featured Indonesian music, dance, and martial arts from Bali and the Sundan region of Java, featuring area performers Herman Suwanda, I Made Sukerti, and I Made Surya. Also performing were UCSC alumni and current students. The concerts were directed by music lecturer Undang Sumarna and music professor Linda Burman-Hall.
As part of the May 17 performance, a plaque honoring Undang Sumarna's 20 years of distinguished teaching at UCSC was presented by Music Department Chair David Evan Jones and Arts Division Dean Edward Houghton (photo). Vice Consul Ibu Dewi Wahjudati of the Indonesian Consulate in San Francisco was in attendance in honor of Sumarna and the UCSC program.
Sumarna, a world-renowned drummer, teaches his own brand of Sundanese gong-chime music to over 200 gamelan students every year at UCSC. Linda Burman-Hall serves as faculty coordinator for the program and also directs Balinese music for the campus. UCSC's gamelan program, the largest in the world outside of Indonesia, is recognized internationally as a leading program.