Appreciating Wayang Kulit - an introduction

March 30, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Mānoa Campus, Music Department room 113 (gamelan room)

Dhalang (master musician and puppeteer) Ki Midiyanto will present an introduction to appreciating wayang kulit, shadow puppet theater. This complex, centuries-old art form is a centerpiece of Javanese culture. A dhalang must have intimate knowledge of a wide-ranging set of skills, including storytelling, mood-setting songs, vocal styling for all characters, puppet manipulation, gamelan music, philosophy and current events.

Ki Midiyanto hails from a long line of dhalang, musicians and artists in Central Java. For over thirty years he has taught and performed extensively in Java, the U.S., Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. He has been featured in several documentary films and directed the gamelan for "Shadow Music of Java", recorded at the Smithsonian. Since 2004 he has taught and directed gamelan at UC Berkeley.

Ki Midiyanto will perform an excerpt of wayang kulit in a performance with the UH Javanese Gamelan Ensemble on April 1.

This residency is sponsored by the Hawaii Gamelan Society, the UHM Music Department and UHM Asian Studies, with support from UH Center for Southeast Asian Studies and UH Lyon Arboretum.


Ticket Information
free admission

Event Sponsor
Music, Mānoa Campus

More Information
808 956-7756,

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