Gamelan Gita Sari to be Performed at Holy Cross

On Friday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. in the Brooks Concert Hall, Luce Professor Desak Made Suarti will direct the Gamelan Gita Sari concert. The gamelan, an Indonesian orchestra made up especially of percussion instruments, is composed of a troupe of students, faculty and community member musicians and dancers. The Gamelan Gita Sari concert, which literally means "the divine essence of song," promises to be an exciting evening of dance, music and mask.

In just her second year as a Luce professor at Holy Cross, Desak Made Suarti has provided the Holy Cross community with an extensive view into the world of Balinese music and dance. A citizen of Bali, Indonesia, Desak Made Suarti was awarded the Henry R. Luce professorship in order that she may enrich the academic and cultural lives of American students and bring back to her native country new and innovative teaching styles.

Desak Made Suarti's love for the arts was cultivated at a young age by her father, a gamelan instructor. In 1984 she composed her own concert titled Sandya Gita. That composition awarded her the prestige of being ranked one of Bali's two internationally renowned female composers. Next semester Desak Made Suarti will continue to offer Holy Cross students a chance to explore the exciting world of Indonesian culture with Balinese Dance 1, 2, 3 and 4 and Music of Bali-Gamelan 1 and 2 through the theatre and music departments respectively.

Related information:

Theatre Department Music Department