Henry Spiller, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Music, University of California Davis
UC Davis Gamelan Ensemble, with guest artist Burhan Sukarma

The development of a musical ensemble consisting of tuned bronze percussion instruments, drums, and a bamboo flute, collectively called degung, mirrors the turbulent history of West Java, Indonesia, where it originates, as well as changes in the Sundanese culture that dominates the region. Several selections performed by the eight-person UC Davis Gamelan Ensemble, joined by guest artist Burhan Sukarma—a renowned virtuoso on suling (bamboo flute)—will illustrate this exploration of Indonesian history as reflected in musical style and repertory.