Kusuma exchange concert

The Staples Family Concert Hall filled with students and faculty
Thursday evening to view the Kusuma Sari Gamelan orchestra.

The Indonesian-based group consists of 20 college students and
professors from Bowling Green University who perform on gongs, flutes,
drums, metallophones and gong-chimes.

The instrumentation created rhythmic, yet eerie melodies. The
constant beat created a very meditative, relaxing environment, even
though the music moved along very quickly.

“It was really cool because you never get to hear this stuff; it’s
really different and interesting,” said Katie Lynch, White Lake senior.

The orchestra has traveled to Michigan various times, but this is
its first visit to Mount Pleasant.

“This is the first time Kusuma Sari has visited Central and it is a
great opportunity to have such a diverse, musical group on campus,”
said Kimberly Dimond, interim director of music events through the
School of Music.

The group performed four pieces at the concert. During the first
piece Director David Harnish talked to the crowd between sections to
show the audience what each instrument sounded like alone and together.

“It’s important to have precision and it’s a group sound,” he said.
“There are no solos. There has to be a good coordination and feeling in
the group.”

Harnish not only conducted, but performed right along with the
group. Not one student was assigned to one instrument, as they often
switched between songs.

“It’s a variety of music. I do composition, we sometimes do
traditional, classical and more masculine kinds of pieces,” he said.

Following the last piece and a standing ovation, Harnish invited
students to the stage for a workshop, in which CMU students performed a
traditional rhythm.

The Gamelan orchestra was dressed in traditional Balinese attire
with scarves around the head and waste, sarong-like garments and bare
feet. The musicians played sitting down.

“It’s a complete different change from using written music where you
have to memorize in this ensemble,” said Samantha Mudge, a BGSU
graduate student and orchestra member.

Kusuma Sari means “Inner Flower” and each Gamelan has a different
name. It was formed in 1990 by JaFran Jones at BGSU, who purchased all
the instruments used at Thursday’s concert.