Indonesian Gamelan Performed At The Ecuador 2024 Jazz Festival

JAKARTA - A student who studied Indonesian gamelan art from Universidad de wes Artes (UArtes) Guayaquil, Ecuador, amazed the audience at the Ecuador 2024 Jazz Festival on Saturday local time.

Ansambel UArtes Gamelan led by Dr. Andrey Astaiza displayed the original composition entitled "OM" which combines traditional gamelan melodies with modern improvisations, said a press statement written by the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) Quito on Monday.

The collaborative composition depicts the color of Ecuador's gamelan and marimba sounds that produce a cresendo rhythm that reminds the audience of parade sounds.

The composition also combines the traditional Latin American melody with the Indonesian gamelan melody.

The sound of gamelan in the work is accompanied by modern musical instruments such as saxophones and guitars as well as local traditional musical instruments, Kalimba.

"This shows that gamelans can be adapted and played together with other modern and traditional musical instruments," according to the Indonesian Embassy in Quito, quoted by Antara.

The work was played by nine students who took part in the gamelan class at the art university. A number of UArtes lecturers took part in the show.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Ecuador, Agung Kurniadi, a number of Indonesian diaspora, mingled with local residents to watch the gamelan performance.

The Indonesian Embassy in Quito explained that gamelan has become part of the UArtes sound art school curriculum so that it has become a separate course that has been tested since 2023. The class at UArtes Guayaquil is the only gamelan class among universities in Latin America.

Cikal bakal hadirnya kelas tersebut berasal dari inisiat Ambassador Agung yang berhasil mencapai kesepakatan kerja sama peminjaman gamelan dengan UArtes pada 2022. KBRI Quito juga secara rutin mengirim maestro gamelan, Joko Ngadimin, untuk mengajar di kelas gamelan itu.