Rhythm In Bronze

The New Malaysian Gamelan

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Calendar of events 

Future Events

  

Nov

2010

 
Private Concert 

10 November 2010

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

 

A private concert performance for HSBC.

Oct

2010

 

HSBC Show

25 October 2010

Shangri-La Hotel

 

A private concert performance for HSBC. Performing with Elvira Arul and Judimar Hernendez.

Past

  
 

Sep

2010

  

RiB Composition Workshop

23-26 September 2010

Five Arts Centre Studio

 

With the kind support of HSBC in the Arts & Malaysia Airlines, RiB conducted a music composition workshop. Designed to guide RiB members about gamelan composition process, the workshop was facilitated a well know gamelan composer, New Zelander Gareth Farr.

 

Sep

2010

  

RiB & Singa Murthi Masterclass

 September 2010

Five Arts Centre Studio

 

RiB is on a learning quest. 5 of the members traveled to Gianyar, Bali to have a 3 day masterclass with the famous Balinese gamelan group;  Singa Murthi.   

July

2010

 
  
Terengganu World Gamelan Festival

23 - 26 July 2010

Kuala Terengganu

 

Rhythm In Bronze was invited to perform at the 2nd Terengganu World Gamelan Festival. Also performing at the festival are the Singa Murthi Balinese gamelan group, the Surakarta Javanese gamelan group, and Hands Percussion to name a few.

 

April 2010

 

  

MPO MID-WEEK JAM: A Gamelan Discovery

14 April 2010

Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, KLCC 

 

RiB participated in this one hour series in collaboration with a number of MPO musicians, introducing the mystical gamelan instruments in a story form

 

2009

 Hari Jadi

3-6 December 2009 

PJ Live Arts

 

2009 sees Rhythm in Bronze reach a new milestone - our 12th birthday and the coming of age.  To celebrate this new era of RiB, we threw a party or a ‘birthday bash’ by mounting a Gamelan Theatre concert. The concept of the performance is based on RiB’s music journey, drawing from songs and pieces that hold a special significance in our history and development.

 

RiB worked under the Artistic Direction of Edwin Sumon, a prominent Malaysian Theatre artist and the Music Direction of Susan Sarah John and Seow Lai Fong. 

 2009 

Security Commission's World Capital Markets Symposium Dinner

10 Aug 2009

Mandrin Oriental

 

A private performance at the 1st ever World Capital Markets symposium organised by SC. Guest includes distinguished speakers and panleists on financial markets

2009 

'Ribblets'

June 2009

 

Formation of Rhythm In Bronze's 2nd team led by Ann Salina Peter as musical director

 2009 

KLUE Urbanscapes 2009

27 June 2009

KL Performing Arts Centre,Kuala Lumpur

 

Rhythm in Bronze (RiB) will be performing live at Urbanscapes 2009!

 

Urbanscapes is organised by KLue and is the first and only all-day “user-generated” creative arts festival. Urbanscapes aims to bring together communities and participants from the fields of music, arts, fashion/lifestyle and film under a single banner to showcase the best of the local scene.

 

RiB will be collaborating with the percussionists from the Tugu Drum Circle.

 2009

IATA & Malaysia Airlines Dinner

6 June 2009

Kuala Lumpur

 

A private performance for 65th International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit dinner together with Malaysia Airlines, the host airline.

The dinner guests includes top worldwide airlines CEOs.

 2009

  

Santai! RiB Style

22-24 May 2009

Esplanade, Singapore

 

RIB was invited by Esplanade to participate in their Flipside Program, which is part of the Singapore Arts Festival.

An outdoor show, RiB perform eight 30 mins shows on 22nd till 24th May 2009.

 2009

 

Musawar

13 February 2009

Kuala Lumpur

 

A private performance for Sisters In Islam's Musawah. A a global movement aims for that day when those in the Muslim world will realise that women’s demands for equality and justice are rooted in the Islamic tradition.

 2008 

RiB & WAO Community Project

July - December 2008

Kuala Lumpur

 

For 2008, Rhythm in Bronze's Community Outreach Program worked together with the Women’s Aid Organization (WAO), an organisation that are committed to confronting violence aga

The 3 month program aimed to provide an outlet and opportunity to the WAO ladies, their children and the shelters' care-givers to channel their feelings through music while allowing them to use music as a healing property.

 2008

Terengganu World Gamelan Festival

26 – 29 August 2008

Kuala Terengganu

 

Rhythm In Bronze was invited to perform at the 1st Terengganu World Gamelan Festival. Also performing at the festival are the Singa Murthi Balinese gamelan group, the Surakarta Javanese gamelan group, the Southbank gamelan group from UK and the Wasabi gamelan group from Japan.

 2008

Sultan of Kedah’s 50th Sovereignty Anniversary – A

commissioned performance

22 July 2008

Sultan of Kedah’s Palace, Alor Star

 

The Kedah Royal family had invited Rhythm in Bronze to perform at the Sultan of Kedah’s 50th anniversary of his sovereignty. Susan Sarah John, who is Rhythm In Bronze’s Musical Director and also a Kedah native, was specially commissioned to compose a song specially by Sultan of Kedah’s daughter for her dad.

 2008 

HSBC Concert

2008

 

A special concert for HSBC for their support to Rhythm In Bronze and their projects

  • Music Director – Susan Sarah John
 2007

 

Alih PungGONG - Rhythm In Bronze Extra Gamelan Turns

28 Feb – 4 Mar 2007

Pentas 2, KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPac)

 

Rhythm In Bronze presents another spectacular gamelan project! After seven successful concerts and an album, Alih PungGONG explored new ground with musicians working closely with acclaimed directors Nam Ron and Loh Kok Man.

Alih PungGONG presented an entirely new repertoire of sounds complemented with powerful short pieces of theatre performances. The result was a titillating tapestry that seduced, stimulated and stirred all the senses!

 

“…I found Alih PungGONG ….. even more groundbreaking: it combined

Bangsawan, contemporary music for a gamelan orchestra, a beauty pageant of women, and feminist philosophy for a good measure of spunk and fun” – Lisa Ho,

Kakiseni March Review, 2007

 

  • Musical Director – Jillian Ooi & Susan Sarah John
  • Director – Nam Ron
  • Physical Movement – Loh Kok Man
  • Set & costumes – Bayu Utomo Radjikin
  • Lighting – Mac Chan
  • Executive Producer – Marion D’Cruz & Faridah Merican 
 2006 

Rhythm In Bronze in the Community – Selayang 2

31 Mar – 3 Apr 2006

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

An expanson of Selayang 1 (2004), Selayang 2 allowed the facilitators from Rhythm In Bronze to introduce the children to the process of creating and playing music using gamelan in storytelling. Again the sponsorship of HSBC in alliance with RiB and Five Arts has demonstrated another successful collaboration.

  • Facilitators – Jillian Ooi, Sharmini Ratnasingam, Susan Sarah John, Ann Salina Peter
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 2006 

UTIH – Celebrating Krishen

28 Apr 2006

67 Tempinis Satu gallery

 

A ‘wayang kulit’ tribute with a twist to the late Dato’ Krishen Jit, who had been instrumental to guiding Rhythm In Bronze’s in their journey

 2005 

Monkey Business – Rhythm In Bronze Gamelan Theatre

31 Mar – 3 Apr 2005

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

Monkey Business was the first step for RiB towards music theatre showcasing the musicians as central and creative performers, involved in acting, movement and solo performance.

  • Director – Krishen Jit
  •  Artistic & Music Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • Choreography by Judimar Hernandez
  • Executive Producers – Marion D’Cruz & Faridah Merican

 2004 

Rhythm In Bronze in the Community – Selayang 1

1 Jun – 29 Aug 2004

Actor’s Studio, Plaza Damas/ Taman Prima Selayang

 

This outreach project was successful in using gamelan for a community arts project. It gave an opportunity for children from a less privilege background, the joy of learning to play the gamelan, music appreciation, and experience the joy of performing to their community.

The sponsorship of HSBC in alliance with a local arts group (RiB and Five Arts) demonstrated a positive example of a business and art collaboration that can really return the arts back to the community.

  • Facilitators – Sunetra Fernando, Jillian Ooi, Sharmini Ratnasingam, Ann Salina Peter
  • Producer - Marion D'Cruz
 2004 

HSBC Concert

2004

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

A special concert for HSBC for their support to Rhythm In Bronze and their projects

  • Music Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 2004 

Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS presents Rhythm In Bronze

– Jazz & World Music Series

16 & 17 Feb 2004

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

New pieces specially written by Malaysian, Indonesian and British composers commissioned by RiB to further develop the repertoire of music for Malaysian gamelan.

  • Artistic Director – Sunetra Fernando
  • Music Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • Performance Director – Chee Sek Thim
  • Executive Producers – Marion D’Cruz & Faridah Merican

 2004 

Rhythm In Bronze in Concert

12 Oct 2004

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

  • Music Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • Performance Director – Judimar Hernandez
  • Executive Producers – Marion D’Cruz & Faridah Merican

 2003 

Australia’s The Song Company with the Rhythm In Bronze gamelan ensemble

1 Oct 2003

Australian High Commission

 

A collaboration between The Song Company from Australia & RiB performing works including those by Malaysian composers Sunetra Fernando and Saidah Rastam. This concert combined both gamelan and voice was the result of several workshops to exchange ideas and expertise. The links and relationships created formed a firm basis for future collaborations and partnerships between the two countries.

  • Song Company Artistic Director – Roland Peelman
  • RIB Musical Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • New Zealander Gamelan Composer – Gareth Farr
  • Executive Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 2003 

Laras Gong – Rhythm In Bronze gamelan music

23 – 27 Apr 2003

Experimental Theatre Kompleks Budaya Negara

 

Compositions specially written for Rhythm In Bronze by Malaysian, Indonesian and British composers for voice, percussion, flute and the electric guitar. Nearly all the pieces in this concert, utilized solo or choral voice. Historical research on Javanese gamelan (the base tradition) hypothesizes the roots of gamelan music in ancient vocal poetic narrative.

  •  Artistic & Musical Directors – Sunetra Fernando & Jillian Ooi
  • Producers – Marion D’Cruz & Faridah Merican
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz
 2002 

Kuala Lumpur BBC Prom - Collaboration by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rhythm In Bronze & the Petronase Performing Arts Group

17 May 2002

Dewan Filharmonik Pertronas

 

Sunetra Fernando was commissioned by the Malaysian Philharmonic to compose Wayang, to be performed in collaboration by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), Rhythm In Bronze and the Petronas Arts Group, directed by MPO Associate Conductor Kevin Field, and featured as part of the KL-BBC Proms Festival in May 2002

 2001 

Rhythm In Bronze 2001 – New Music for the Malaysian

Gamelan

17 – 21 Oct 2001

The Actors Studio Bangsar

 

The concert part of the Rhythm In Bronze CD project will also showcase an exciting ecelectic range of new music for the gamelan composed by an assortment of composers.

  •  Artistic & Musical Director – Sunetra Fernando
  •  Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 2001 

Rhythm In Bronze CD

Sep 2001

 

The Rhythm In Bronze CD project is the first recording of contemporary Malaysian gamelan music featuring original compositions by local composers like Sunetra Fernando, Michael Veerapen, Tan Sooi Beng Suhaimi Mohd Zain, Wayan I Rajeg, alongside a traditional Malay and Javanese repertoire specially adapted for the Malaysian gamelan. The CD incorporates different instruments like vocals, electric guitars, the Kelantanese rebab and Chinese shigu drums amongst others into the traditional gamelan repertoire

  • Artistic & Musical Director – Sunetra Fernando
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 1999 

Rhythm In Bronze – A Concert of Gamelan Music

2 – 5 Sep 1999

Experimental Theatre Kompleks Budaya Negara

 

This programme was a step forward for Rhythm In Bronze. The traditional repertoires are richer and new pieces by contemporary composers were  introduced. The most distinctive feature of the programme was the presentation of different styles of gamelan composition. The repertoire also presented a wide range of sonorities.

  • Artistic & Musical Director – Sunetra Fernando
  • Assistant Musical Director – Jillian Ooi
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz

 1997 

Rhythm In Bronze – A gamelan concert

28 Feb – 2 Mar 1997

Experimental Theatre Kompleks Budaya Negara

 

Linking dance, tradition and contemporary musical styles on the gamelan, this performance introduced its audience to the beauty of the gamelan in an informal, fun, light-hearted way. The repertoire demonstrated the intricacy of gamelan performance styles, glimpsed in fraction through the performance of various regional styles, such as Balinese and Javanses styles, adapted for the Malay Gamelan orchestra.

This was RiB’s first concert and presented gamelan as an exciting and expressive contemporary Malaysian ensemble, faithful to its own essential musical aesthetics.

  •  Artistic & Musical Director – Sunetra Fernando
  • Producer – Marion D’Cruz