Gamelan festival opens<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno opened an
\ninternational gamelan festival at the Prambanan temple compound
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Fifteen groups from seven countries are taking part in the
\nfestival to show the global reach of the traditional Javanese
\npercussion orchestra. Besides host Indonesia, there are gamelan
\ngroups from Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, France
\nand New Zealand. The Indonesian participants come from Denpasar,
\nBali, and Surabaya, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Banyumas and
\nBanyuwangi in Java.<\/p>\n
Sri Hastanto, the head of the festival committee, said gamelan
\nwas introduced outside Indonesia as far back as 1580, when Sir
\nFrancis Drake took a set back to Europe. Sir Stamford Raffles
\nfurther introduced gamelan to the world in the early 19th
\ncentury.<\/p>\n
Sri Hastanto said a number of people from Asia and African
\ncountries had expressed interest in taking part in the festival,
\nbut could not make it here on time.<\/p>\n
The American orchestra is the South Bank Center Youth Gamelan
\nwhile the two Japanese orchestras are Sekar Djepun and Kodomo No
\nShiro, while France is represented by a team from the Galerie
\nConore. Most of the gamelan players will be wearing traditional
\nJavanese garb.<\/p>\n
The festival will be closed on Sunday by Coordinating Minister
\nfor Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman. (har)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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