Update (16 March): Performance at Botanic Gardens is now postponed
Due to the current coronavirus situation, we regret to inform you that our performance at the Botanic Gardens, "Taman Soka", originally on 22nd March, has been postponed until further notice.
Thank you for your support and we hope to play for you again at a healthier opportunity :)
Update (10 Feb): Cancellation of Performance
In light of the current Coronavirus situation in Singapore, we have been faced with a series of new challenges to staging our performance.
As such, to safeguard the well being of our guest artistes, audience, and musicians, we've made the decision to cancel the performance for the time being.
As we are unsure when the new performance will be, we have decided to halt the current campaign and refund our backers. Please do not make any new contributions in this time, and allow us some time for the refunds to be processed. Do feel free to reach out to us via email should you experience any problems.
Please see this update for more details.
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Update!
Thank you everyone for helping us reach our initial crowdfunding goal! We're all surprised and touched by the warm and speedy response, and it's a great source of encouragement for all of us working towards the performance.
We are still keeping this campaign running: please see our first update (Jan 20, 2020) for more details about the production costs we've yet to cover. See you on 6 March!
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Overview
Since 2004, the Singa Nglaras Javanese Gamelan Ensemble has been bringing together Singaporean lovers of Javanese Gamelan and culture through its public performances and regular community rehearsals.
Sang Nila Utama: The Crown of the Three Worlds, is a Javanese Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppetry) performance that brings a fresh perspective to the narrative of Sang Nila Utama, familiar to all Singaporeans. It follows the prince as he departs from Bintan, and recounts his victories and challenges in the human, natural, and spiritual worlds as he pursues his dreams of glory across the sea.
Date: 6 March 2020
Venue: NUS, Central Forum (The covered amphitheater beneath Central Library)
Time: To be confirmed (likely 8pm - 11pm)
Performance is in an open space: no tickets nor registration required.
About the Singa Nglaras Javanese Gamelan Ensemble
The Singa Nglaras Javanese Gamelan Ensemble was founded in 2004. Its name means “relaxing lion” (the word “nglaras” means both to “relax” and “to harmonize, tune”). The ensemble is open to the public.
Our primary motivation is the relaxed enjoyment and appreciation of gamelan music. While we take relaxing seriously, we also believe we can enjoy gamelan music more, appreciate it better, and ultimately enjoy ourselves better, if we penetrate into the more advanced aspects of gamelan music and play more complex musical compositions.
Over the years, we have staged performances at the South East Asia Night (organised by the Department of Southeast Asian Studies), the Esplanade Waterfront (2012, 2013 and 2014) as well as the Malay Heritage Centre in collaboration with Indonesia-based Guntur Mataram Dance Company (2013 to 2019). We have also collaborated with Indonesian artistes, notably, Ki Purbo Asmoro (2006), Didik Nini Thowok (2009), Rianto (2014), Angger Widhi Asmoro (2016), Ki Aneng (2019), and Ki Catur Benyek Kuncoro (2019).
Key Performers
Riyadi Setyawan | Artistic Co-Director / Composer
Riyadi Setyawan is a poet, musician and composer based in Indonesia. Born in Boyolali, Central Java, to a family of puppeteers, he was introduced to the gender from a young age by his father, a specialist in that instrument.
After completing his formal education at SMKI and ISI Surakarta, he has performed alongside various highly regarded professional ensembles in the Surakarta region, and is a regular member of Sanggar Karawitan Mayangkara under the direction of renowned puppeteer Ki Purbo Asmoro.
Apart from the classical repertoire, Riyadi is an active composer, presenting his own work "Ibu Bumi" as the capstone recital for his Bachelor's degree. Other notable works include "Candi", written for the 9th Solo Batik Carnaval in 2016 and currently used in Klaten's official tourism advertisement.
Sri Lestari | Dhalang (Puppeteer)
Born in Klaten to a family of puppeteers and musicians, Sri Lestari is a vocalist and female dhalang [shadow puppeteer]. Exposed to the performing arts from a young age, she chose to study at the Sekolah Menegah Karawitan Indonesia (SMKI Solo), a senior high school for the arts, and received a scholarship to complete her bachelor's degree at the Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta (ISI Surakarta).
As a sindhen [Javanese female vocalist], Sri Lestari has participated in competitions and festivals, taking first place at the Festival Karawitan in Boyolali in 2017, and second place at Klaten's Sindhen competition in 2018. She has also performed alongside senior puppeteers such as Ki Anom Suroto, Ki Warseno Slenk and Ki Jungkung Darmoyo. Besides performing classically, she is known for collaborating in contemporary works, and has worked with various groups in Klaten, including Seni Wijaya Nusantara, Sanggar Bandung Bondowoso and Sanggar Ayam Buras.
Thow Xin Wei | Creative Producer / Artistic Co-Director
Xin Wei was introduced to Javanese Gamelan through the Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble in 2007. Deeply moved by the beauty of the music and the culture behind it, he has continued to pursue the music to this day, studying it in Java while teaching and performing it in Singapore.
Apart from numerous short trips to Java, his longer trips include participating in Indonesia's Darmasiswa programme in 2010, then supported by an NAC Artist’s Professional Development Grant. From 2016 to 2018, Xin Wei was an MA (Research) candidate at NUS’s Southeast Asian Studies, graduating with a thesis describing musical life in the city of Solo. He followed this by participating in the Darmasiswa programme again from 2018-2019. During these stays he has focused on improving his practical music skills, as well as gaining first hand experience of the rehearsal and performance contexts they belong to.
In Singapore, Xin Wei continues to work closely with the Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble, assisting in selecting and arranging repertoire, conducting rehearsals, ensemble management and logistics for performances, and maintenance of the instruments.
Ms Rosemainy Buang | Production Manager & Musician
Rosemainy is a musician, creative producer and educator. She aims to take the art form of gamelan to a new level through experimental collaborations with various artistes and by inspiring a new generation of gamelan musicians with her comprehensive workshops in schools.
As an artistic director of Singapore’s only Balinese Gamelan ensemble, Gamelan Singamurti (Gamelan Asmaradana Ltd.), Rosemainy has had the opportunity to learn from the very best in the gamelan scene. She is grateful to her teachers - Dewa Alit, Kader Kariasa, and Wayan Sudirana.
Rosemainy is proud of having composed and produced an EP in 2018. Nunas Taksu - Seeking Guidance comprises of original compositions that fuse traditional gamelan strains with western-style melodies. Nunas Taksu debuted at the International Gamelan Festival 2019 in Surakarta, Indonesia.
Feeding her hunger for experimentation, Rosemainy relished taking on the role of Dewi Bulan in an Esplanade commissioned production, Fatih: The Prince and The Drum (2019), directed by Garin Nugroho and produced by Nadi Singapura. She has also performed experimental music under the direction of Kaizen MD and is currently enjoying experimenting with her vocals with the alternative, post-rock, ambient band, The Its.
Mr Zachary Chan | Graphic Designer & musician
Zachary is a graphic designer, composer, sound designer and gamelan musician. He obtained a BA in Visual Communications from Nanyang Technological University in 2017 and a Diploma in Sonic Arts from Republic Polytechnic in 2010. His musical roots are based in central Javanese gamelan music and he has written music and designed sound for experimental films, plays, video games, storytelling and art installations.
As a gamelan musician, he has been performing for over 6 years with gamelan ensembles Singa Nglaras, BronzAge Gamelan and Gamelan Singamurti. He has collaborated with local groups and artists such as Bhaskar Art’s Academy for “Vinayaka” (2016), the Observatory for “Continuum” (2015) which also premiered internationally at the Performing Arts Meeting in Tokyo, Yokohama (2016).
As a composer and sound designer, he has been regularly putting work out since 2013 which has been performed and shown both locally and abroad, notably in the Singapore Writers’ Festival (2013), Hyderabad Literary Festival (2016), Aliwal Arts Night Crawl (2017), Bulan Bahasa (2017), the first International Gamelan Festival (2018) held in Solo (Surakarta) and most recently, the Singapore Night Festival (2019). He has also written and performed for independent productions such as the 398.2 Storytelling Festival (2016), Sesaji Segoro - the Daughter of the Ocean (2017), and Move __, As We Move (2017), and “Nunas Taksu” with Gamelan Singamurti (2018).
He is also the co-founder of Studio crop, a graphic design studio. Recent clients have included the Singapore Heritage Society, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, SIM Global Education, the Substation, Migrant Ecologies Project, Asian Film Archive, the Private Museum, Wormwood Films, INSTINC Gallery and diha (Digital Intangible Heritage of Asia). His work can be viewed on http://crop.sg.