Dive into Malay Gamelan with Gangsapura group

There is no better place to get your dose of culture as klpac ramps up its activities.

Shows aside, The Actors Studio Academy @ klpac and Gangsapura will bring back its Malay Gamelan workshops from 24 September onwards.

Those who frequented klpac during the weekends pre-pandemic would be familiar with the gentle and soothing sounds of the gamelan.

After three years, the award-winning gamelan exponent Gangsapura will bring back its popular Malay Gamelan classes.

Gamelan was brought into Tanah Melayu from Riau-Lingga in the early 19th Century.

The music enjoyed its glory days in the royal courts before disappearing for some 20 years, only to be re-discovered under Istana Kolam in Terengganu in 1967. 

Now considered one of our great cultural assets and long-lost treasure, Gangsapura’s Malay Gamelan 101 is a rare opportunity to learn this ancient art form.

The course will cater for both beginners and intermediate-level students. 

Beginners will learn the manners (adab), different instruments and techniques employed to play each, gamelan music’s structure and notation, and how to play as a group. 

Intermediate students will have a chance to learn how to fuse Malay gamelan playing with Joget Gamelan, how to ‘turun gambang’, and more intricate ‘bunga’ on the keromong and gambang. 

The term ends with a public recital on 12 November.

Students will have the chance to learn from the best – Teuku Umar Ilany (Saturday classes) and Mohamad Faliq Bin Che Adeni (Sunday classes).

Both are well-known performers and educators of the Malay gamelan. 

Teuku Umar is one half of the power duo who co-founded Gangsapura Gamelan Group in 2016 with Nur Diyana Nadirah in the hope of promoting Malaysian culture and our traditional arts. 

The group won the Best of 2019 Award at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.

The Malay Gamelan 101 workshops are open to those aged 15 and above. 

The course fee is RM450 for six weeks, with an RM50 registration fee for new students. 

Those interested can register online via http://bit.ly/tasa_registration. 

For more information please contact via email: [email protected] or WhatsApp +60 18 266 3383.