The Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar: a workshop and demonstration

Presented by Dr Manolete Mora
Department of Music, University of Hong Kong

Manolete Mora (Associate Professor) received his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Monash University (Melbourne) and was Andrew Mellon Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. His principal research interests are the music of the Philippines, including popular music, and musical ethnography. His research interests also include the music of Bali, Ghana and Cuba. He has published in Acta Musicologica, Anthropological Forum, Sounds Australia and Pilipinas and has produced CDs for Rykodisc and UNESCO/ICTM. His forthcoming book deals with the relationship between music, myth, mimesis and magic amongst Filipino hill-tribes.

Indonesian gong orchestras generically referred to as gamelan are widely used in secondary and tertiary educational institutions in North America, Britain, Australia, Japan, and Western Europe. In 1995, the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong acquired a complete gamelan gong kebyar from Bali.
The Balinese gamelan has now become an important part of the curriculum for music majors at HKU. It is also used in courses for non-music majors and for a community ensemble.

The workshop for the 4th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Music Education Research will consist of a hands-on introduction to the Balinese gamelan, a demonstration of the virtual gamelan, and a brief performance by the University of Hong Kong Balinese Gamelan.