UPCOMING CONCERTS & EVENTS
Find us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date.
PAST CONCERTS
Gamelan Music & Film- 'Goong: Sound Through Fire'
What: Celebrating 44 years of gamelan in the Pacific Northwest: Gamelan Music and Film: “Goong: Sound Through Fire”
When: Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 7:30pm
Where: Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College, 615 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland, OR 97219
Tickets/Info number:
Cost: $20 general admission/$5 student and Arts for All available in advance at Eventbrite
More info: Find us on Facebook at “Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan” or email us at [email protected]
Lewis & Clark College’s Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan performed traditional Central Javanese gamelan pieces, on March 9, 2024 at the Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. Directed by Mindy Johnston, the 15 member ensemble, one of the Pacific Northwest’s first and most enduring world music groups, will be joined by special guest artists Ki Midiyanto, female vocalist Heni Savitri, and other guest musicians from Seattle and Oakland. Music will be followed by the short film, ‘Goong: Sound Through Fire,' directed by Maria Mendonça.
‘Goong: Sound Through Fire’: Sukoharjo in Central Java is one of the few remaining centers of bronze gong forging in Indonesia. 'Goong: sound through fire' follows the creation of a large Sundanese gong (goong) in Sutarno's forge in Jatiteken, Sukoharjo. The film takes an immersive, multi-sensory approach to the process, guided by the occasional interjections of Sutarno. The rich, multi-layered soundscape of the forge and the ever-shifting colors and intensities of the fire accompany the smashing and melting of the copper and tin; the rhythmic hammering, shaping and firing of the emerging, red-hot bronze disc by a team of craftsmen; the voicing of the forged instrument; and finally the sounding of the goong by the master gong-maker.
When: Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 7:30pm
Where: Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College, 615 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland, OR 97219
Tickets/Info number:
Cost: $20 general admission/$5 student and Arts for All available in advance at Eventbrite
More info: Find us on Facebook at “Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan” or email us at [email protected]
Lewis & Clark College’s Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan performed traditional Central Javanese gamelan pieces, on March 9, 2024 at the Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. Directed by Mindy Johnston, the 15 member ensemble, one of the Pacific Northwest’s first and most enduring world music groups, will be joined by special guest artists Ki Midiyanto, female vocalist Heni Savitri, and other guest musicians from Seattle and Oakland. Music will be followed by the short film, ‘Goong: Sound Through Fire,' directed by Maria Mendonça.
‘Goong: Sound Through Fire’: Sukoharjo in Central Java is one of the few remaining centers of bronze gong forging in Indonesia. 'Goong: sound through fire' follows the creation of a large Sundanese gong (goong) in Sutarno's forge in Jatiteken, Sukoharjo. The film takes an immersive, multi-sensory approach to the process, guided by the occasional interjections of Sutarno. The rich, multi-layered soundscape of the forge and the ever-shifting colors and intensities of the fire accompany the smashing and melting of the copper and tin; the rhythmic hammering, shaping and firing of the emerging, red-hot bronze disc by a team of craftsmen; the voicing of the forged instrument; and finally the sounding of the goong by the master gong-maker.
Franya Berkman & Obo Addy World Music Concert (2019)
Date: 3:00pm PDT April 14 Location: Evans Hall
Evans HallThe Lewis & Clark Department of Music presents its 7th annual Franya Berkman & Obo Addy World Music Concert on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 3:00pm in Evans Auditorium. This FREE concert, presented in memory of our beloved World Music faculty members, will feature performances of music from around the world by Lewis & Clark students.
PROGRAM:
Evans HallThe Lewis & Clark Department of Music presents its 7th annual Franya Berkman & Obo Addy World Music Concert on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 3:00pm in Evans Auditorium. This FREE concert, presented in memory of our beloved World Music faculty members, will feature performances of music from around the world by Lewis & Clark students.
PROGRAM:
- Hindustani Voice Ensemble
- Gamelan Ensemble- students and Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan
- Flamenco Ensemble
- Latin American Ensemble
- Mbira Ensemble
- Marimba Ensemble
- A Video Tribute to the Obo Addy Legacy Project by Susan Addy
- Ghanaian Music & Dance Ensemble
VSB Joins Lewis & Clark in Celebrating Alumni Weekend
June 23, 2018 at 2pm
To learn about other music events happening during Alumni Weekend, click here. We hope you can join us!
Vincent McDermott Memorial Concert, March 17th
7:30pm, at Lewis & Clark's Agnes Flanagan Chapel
VSB is honored to join Lewis & Clark College's Music Department in honoring the life and legacy of Vincent McDermott on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 7:30pm in the Agnes Flanagan Chapel. This concert, presented in memory of our beloved Lewis & Clark composer and faculty member, will feature music written by Vincent McDermott, Lou Harrison, and others. The program includes the Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan, Hindustani music, art songs, and Ghanaian traditional music in performances by Lewis & Clark faculty, students, alumni, and guests. Join us as we celebrate the life of Vincent McDermott: composer, faculty member, and co-founder of the LC world music program.
Vince McDermott, professor emeritus of music, died February 10, 2016, while on a visit in North Sumatra, Indonesia. He was 82.
McDermott, an accomplished composer who worked in many genres, was a new music pioneer whose compositions included pathbreaking work that employed both classical European and Asian musical forms and instrumentation. His compositions included works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, voice and chorus, solo instruments, and Javanese gamelan. He also composed operas, two of which—The King of Bali and Mata Hari—were premiered on campus.
McDermott earned his Ph.D. in music composition, music history, and aesthetics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. Before coming to Lewis & Clark in 1977, he taught for a year at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, then for 10 years at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee.
During his two decades at Lewis & Clark, McDermott pioneered the teaching and performance of world music. He developed courses on the music of East and Southeast Asia and the music of India, Africa, and the Middle East. He also instituted or supervised performance classes in African marimba; Ghanaian drumming, singing, and dance; Indian sitar, tabla, and vina; Japanese koto and shamisen; and Javanese gamelan.
Vince McDermott, professor emeritus of music, died February 10, 2016, while on a visit in North Sumatra, Indonesia. He was 82.
McDermott, an accomplished composer who worked in many genres, was a new music pioneer whose compositions included pathbreaking work that employed both classical European and Asian musical forms and instrumentation. His compositions included works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, voice and chorus, solo instruments, and Javanese gamelan. He also composed operas, two of which—The King of Bali and Mata Hari—were premiered on campus.
McDermott earned his Ph.D. in music composition, music history, and aesthetics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. Before coming to Lewis & Clark in 1977, he taught for a year at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, then for 10 years at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee.
During his two decades at Lewis & Clark, McDermott pioneered the teaching and performance of world music. He developed courses on the music of East and Southeast Asia and the music of India, Africa, and the Middle East. He also instituted or supervised performance classes in African marimba; Ghanaian drumming, singing, and dance; Indian sitar, tabla, and vina; Japanese koto and shamisen; and Javanese gamelan.
Thanks to McDermott—and the generosity of donor Loraine Fenwick—the college acquired the Venerable Showers of Beauty gamelan, a magnificent set of Javanese instruments that dates back to around 1880. This gamelan was the first of its kind in the Northwest and about the 10th gamelan to arrive in the United States.
“Vincent changed my life in the most surprising and unexpected way after introducing me to gamelan when I was 18 or 19 in a world music class,” remembers Mindy Johnston B.A. ’97, who now teaches gamelan at Lewis & Clark and Portland State University and directs the Venerable Showers of Beauty gamelan ensemble. “His influence on my life sent me running with open arms down a path I couldn’t have imagined… . He has touched the lives of countless individuals around the world, particularly through his love of gamelan.”
In 1998, after his retirement from Lewis & Clark, McDermott taught at the College of William & Mary, where his then-wife, Sophia Serghi B.A. ’94, a noted composer herself, serves on the faculty.
From 2002 to 2003, McDermott was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta. Since that time, he had made his life in Indonesia with his wife, Sary Sinaga, also known as Ipeh, and their son, Shaun. He enjoyed a full and busy “retirement” as a composer and performer. In 2013, he published a well-received book, Imagi-Nation: Membuat Musik Biasa Jadi Luar Biasa, about his experiences as a teacher, mentor, and composer of music in Indonesia.
Free and open to the public
Event Contact
[email protected]
(503) 768-7788
“Vincent changed my life in the most surprising and unexpected way after introducing me to gamelan when I was 18 or 19 in a world music class,” remembers Mindy Johnston B.A. ’97, who now teaches gamelan at Lewis & Clark and Portland State University and directs the Venerable Showers of Beauty gamelan ensemble. “His influence on my life sent me running with open arms down a path I couldn’t have imagined… . He has touched the lives of countless individuals around the world, particularly through his love of gamelan.”
In 1998, after his retirement from Lewis & Clark, McDermott taught at the College of William & Mary, where his then-wife, Sophia Serghi B.A. ’94, a noted composer herself, serves on the faculty.
From 2002 to 2003, McDermott was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta. Since that time, he had made his life in Indonesia with his wife, Sary Sinaga, also known as Ipeh, and their son, Shaun. He enjoyed a full and busy “retirement” as a composer and performer. In 2013, he published a well-received book, Imagi-Nation: Membuat Musik Biasa Jadi Luar Biasa, about his experiences as a teacher, mentor, and composer of music in Indonesia.
Free and open to the public
Event Contact
[email protected]
(503) 768-7788
VSB joins March Music Moderne, March 24th
|
|
June 17, 2017 - CeLOUbration - an evening of music by Lou Harrison
7:30pm, Lincoln Hall at Portland State University
Born in Portland in 1917, renowned composer Lou Harrison defied convention, embracing non-Western music, advocating gay rights and environmentalism, and pursuing melodic beauty along with musical innovation throughout his colorful career. Join Venerable Showers of Beauty gamelan ensemble, Portland Percussion Group, PSU faculty and students, and guest musicians for concerts and talks celebrating the centennial of Oregon’s greatest composer, and premieres of new music inspired by Harrison’s pioneering legacy. In Partnership with Cascadia Composers.
Learn more about the two day event here. Get ticket information here.
You can purchase our CD of previously unrecorded gamelan pieces by Lou Harrison here.
Learn more about the two day event here. Get ticket information here.
You can purchase our CD of previously unrecorded gamelan pieces by Lou Harrison here.
An Evening of Traditional Gamelan Music
November 19, 7:30pm
Hipbone Studio
Join us for an intimate evening of traditional Javanese gamelan music at Hipbone Studio with guest artists Midiyanto and his wife, Heni Savitri. We will also be joined by gamelan friends from Seattle and Ireland! There is limited seating, so advanced ticket purchase is recommended. Get tickets here. Beer and wine will be available. Bring cash.
November 19th, show starts at 7:30pm, door opens at 7pm
Hipbone Studio (street parking)
1847 E Burnside, #104 - Portland, OR 97214
Tickets: Sliding scale $15+
Buy tickets in advance at Brown Paper Tickets
November 19th, show starts at 7:30pm, door opens at 7pm
Hipbone Studio (street parking)
1847 E Burnside, #104 - Portland, OR 97214
Tickets: Sliding scale $15+
Buy tickets in advance at Brown Paper Tickets
Press Play events - JAW 2016
Sunday, July 31st - 7pm
Press Play performances are dynamic pieces hand-selected for JAW to animate the building and engage audience members before every reading. Ranging from a gentle morning yoga session to a performance of Indonesian gamelan music, this years’ performances are not to be missed!
Sunday July 31st
Music from Venerable Showers of Beauty, 7 p.m., Main and Mezzanine Lobbies
*All Press Play performances are free and open to the public!
Sunday July 31st
Music from Venerable Showers of Beauty, 7 p.m., Main and Mezzanine Lobbies
*All Press Play performances are free and open to the public!
Lan Su Chinese Garden, May 21, 2016
We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to return to the Lan Su Chinese Garden on May 21st at 3pm to share our wonderful music in the gamelan.
We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to return to the Lan Su Chinese Garden on May 21st at 3pm to share our wonderful music in the gamelan.
Dolphin Midwives Tape Release / VSB Gamelan / Dead Death, May 21, 2016
Celebration for Dolphin Midwives debut cassette release, Orchid Milk, on the evening of the Full Moon in Sagittarius.
Hosted at the Kenton Masonic Temple.
Opening up will be avant/shamanic puppetry/experimental music project, Dead Death.
Featuring handmade puppets, multiple personalities, electronic and acoustic textural sonic landscapes, Dead Death will take you there and beyond. Learn more about Dead Death here.
Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan will then play traditional music of Central Java, directed by Mindy Johnston.
Last but not least, Dolphin Midwives will end the evening with cyclic, avant harp environments, choral caverns, microtonal zither realms and jungular percussive textures from her debut, Orchid Milk. http://dolphinmidwives.bandcamp.com/
May 21st at 8pm (doors will open at 7:30pm)
Tickets $12, available online at http://orchidmilk.brownpapertickets.com/
This is an all ages event.
Celebration for Dolphin Midwives debut cassette release, Orchid Milk, on the evening of the Full Moon in Sagittarius.
Hosted at the Kenton Masonic Temple.
Opening up will be avant/shamanic puppetry/experimental music project, Dead Death.
Featuring handmade puppets, multiple personalities, electronic and acoustic textural sonic landscapes, Dead Death will take you there and beyond. Learn more about Dead Death here.
Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan will then play traditional music of Central Java, directed by Mindy Johnston.
Last but not least, Dolphin Midwives will end the evening with cyclic, avant harp environments, choral caverns, microtonal zither realms and jungular percussive textures from her debut, Orchid Milk. http://dolphinmidwives.bandcamp.com/
May 21st at 8pm (doors will open at 7:30pm)
Tickets $12, available online at http://orchidmilk.brownpapertickets.com/
This is an all ages event.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
We were thrilled to perform at the Chinese Garden during the Asian-Pacific American Heritage month on May 16, 2015 and again on July 25, 2015. Not only is the Chinese Garden a wonderful space to play music, but it gave us a chance to try out some of the Lou Harrison pieces we are working on for our upcoming CD project!
Check out the garden website for more information about the wonderful events happening at this magical space.
Check out the garden website for more information about the wonderful events happening at this magical space.
Lents International Farmer's Market
August 10th, 2014 11am - 1pm
August 10th, 2014 11am - 1pm
https://www.facebook.com/Photographer.Rachel.Hadiashar
 Photo by Rachel Hadiashar
Javanese Journey
June 14th, 2014: 7:30pm at The Headwaters Theater with special guests Midiyanto and female vocalist Heni Savitri. Location: The Headwaters Theatre 55 NE Farragut St. #9, Portland, OR 97211 Tickets: Tickets are sold at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets Sliding scale: $10-20. Cash or checks only at the door. |
Indonesian master musician Midiyanto returned to Portland with his wife, the Javanese singer Heni Savitri to perform traditional Javanese gamelan music with Lewis & Clark College's Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Ensemble and guest artists from Seattle.
|
Gongs + Songs: Music for Gamelan and Chorus
Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Resonance joins forces with Portland's renowned Resonance Ensemble to perform new repertoire blending Western choral and Indonesian gamelan traditions, including Neil Sorrell's Missa Gongso and Lou Harrison's In Honor of Aphrodite. Our March 9th concert at The Armory will be presented as part of the March Music Moderne Festival. Tickets: $22/General, $15/Senior, and $11/Students & Artists. |
Saturday, March 8th, 2014, 7:30 pm
Evans Auditorium, Lewis & Clark College 0615 SW Palatine Hill Road Sunday, March 9th, 2014, 5:00 pm The Armory 128 NW 11th Avenue |
Music In Small Spaces
An afternoon of traditional music from Central Java, with special guests Jessika Kenney and Vincent McDermott, November 9th, 2013 2:30pm.
We are excited to have performed as part of the Music In Small Spaces series at the Beaverton Library where concerts are presented in (you guessed it!) small spaces to entice patrons into the exploration of music, live performance, comments by the musicians and the intimacy of a small audience. This concert was presented as part of the Beaverton Arts Commission Visual Arts Showcase. |
Lents Farmer's Market
The Lents International Farmers Market is Portland's only international market, featuring fresh produce, international foods, musical entertainment, chef demonstrations and kids activities, and VSB was there on September 8th, 2013 from 12-2pm filling the air with sweet sounds!
|
|
August 31, 2013- 5pm at Art In The Pearl!
We are excited to be playing at Art In The Pearl for the fourth year! This is a fun festival you won't want to miss! Art In The Pearl, Portland Oregon’s annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival, occurs every year on Labor Day weekend. The 17th annual festival will occur on August 31st, Sept. 1-2, 2013 in the Pearl District’s North Park Blocks. Art In The Pearl has been named one of the top 10 Arts and Crafts Festivals in the country (source: Art Fair Source Book). The festival fills the Northwest Portland Park blocks with art, theater, music, and hands-on activities for people of all ages.
|
|
July 27, 2013 7pm
|
July 27, 2013 - Beaverton's International Celebration
The International Celebration is a free, fun, family-friendly event showcasing our many cultures through music, dance, interactive activities, food, art and more! VSB is excited to be involved in this wonderful event and hope to see you next year!
Where: Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex on Stage 1 When: Saturday, July 27th at 4:30pm (the festival fun starts at 11am...VSB plays at 4:30pm) Check out the Beaverton International Celebration website for more information about this fun, cultural celebration. |
|
Celebration Works/Encountering Java: June 2, 2013 - 2pm
Indonesian master musician Midiyanto
returns to Portland with his wife, the Javanese singer Heni Savitri to perform
traditional Javanese gamelan music with Lewis & Clark College's Venerable
Showers of Beauty Gamelan Ensemble and guest artists from Seattle in the
Celebration Works series at Portland's First Presbyterian Church.
Where: Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 1200 SW Alder, Portland 97205; Free parking during concert in underground garage at corner of SW 12th and Morrison When: Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 2:00 pm Tickets: Sold at the door. General admission: $12, Senior/Students: $10; Cash or check only. Contact: [email protected] or Ann van Bever, Celebration Works Administrator; [email protected]; 503-228-7331 
|
After 32 years in Portland, Lewis & Clark College's Venerable Showers of Beauty community gamelan ensemble makes its first appearance in First Presbyterian Church's Celebration Works series. For these performances of Javanese classical music, the ensemble will be directed by its former teacher, one of the world's greatest Javanese musicians, Ki Midiyanto, who teaches gamelan at the University of California at Berkeley and previously taught at Lewis & Clark College, where he directed the gamelan program for a decade. The concert also features a rare U.S. appearance by a pesindhen, the virtuosa female vocalists who sing beguiling solo parts over choral and instrumental accompaniment by the percussion orchestra.
|
Modern Metal in partnership with
|
|
Oregon Asian Celebration: February 17, 2013
Come join us in Eugene for good music, food and fun with friends on Sunday, February 17th at the Lane Events Center in Eugene, OR where we will be celebrating the joy of playing gamelan. We will play on the Main Stage at 2:30pm. Check out the schedule of events here or learn more about the whole event on the Oregon Asian Celebration website here. You won't want to miss it!
We are very grateful to the Indonesian Consulate for sponsoring us at this event.
Terima Kasih banyak Pak Edwin!
We are very grateful to the Indonesian Consulate for sponsoring us at this event.
Terima Kasih banyak Pak Edwin!
|
From Indonesia to Portland: Traditional and Contemporary Gamelan Music from Java
Indonesian master musician Aloysius Suwardi makes a rare American appearance in Portland with Lewis & Clark College's Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Ensemble, renowned Berkeley-based Javanese teacher and musician Midiyanto and guest artists from Seattle's Gamelan Pacifica. When: November 10, 2012 at 7:30pm Where: Evans Auditorium, Lewis & Clark College, 0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd. Tickets: $15 General Admission, $10 Students/Seniors, LC Community $5 day of show More information: 768-7460 or [email protected] Tickets can be bought at the door the day of show or in advance at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/280215 One of Asia's most renowned traditional musicians will join one of Oregon's most acclaimed world music ensembles on November 10 in a special concert at Lewis & Clark College. Suwardi will perform his original compositions and traditional Indonesian music for gamelan, the famous orchestra composed primarily of percussion instruments, with Venerable Showers of Beauty, a community ensemble that has been based at Lewis & Clark since 1980. For this special performance, the Portland ensemble will also be directed by one of the world's greatest Javanese musicians, Midiyanto, who teaches gamelan at the University of California at Berkeley and two of America's finest gamelan musicians, singer Jessika Kenney and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Snyder. We are very grateful to the Regional Arts and Culture Council for supporting this program! |
|
Aloysius Suwardi, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) -Surakarta, Java
|
Midiyanto, University of California at Berkeley/Eromoko, Java
|
Our third year at Art in the Pearl. Saturday, September 1, 2012. 5-6pm.
|
Art In The Pearl®, the annual arts festival, occurs every year on Labor Day weekend. The next festival will occur on Sept. 1-3, 2012 in the Pearl District's North Park Blocks. The festival has been named one of the top 10 Arts and Crafts Festivals in the country (source: Art Fair Source Book). The festival fills the Northwest Portland Park blocks with art, theater, music, and hands-on activities for people of all ages.
|
|
Saturday, July 21, 2012 at Portland Farmer's Market at the Park Blocks -Portland State University. 11am-2pm
There's nothing like fresh produce and gamelan! |
|
"The St Johns nofest is a free music and arts festival with over 90 performances this year. The event begins at noon in the historic town square, and continues across multiple venues late into the night. Every conceivable and perceivable music genre is represented, as well as installations, micro film fests, and a spoken word/comedy showcase. Growing into its 5th year, the SJNF is evolving and expanding. We are commited to staying awesome...and weird!"
|
Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 7:30 pm with Northwest New Music
Evans Auditorium, Lewis and Clark College Featuring Fritz Gearhart, violin; Diane Chaplin, cello; Florian Conzetti, percussion; Elise Blatchford, flute; and the Lewis & Clark's Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Influence of the GAMELAN
|
|
|
November 12, 2011: THE VENERABLE SHOWERS OF BEAUTY performed traditional pieces and contemporary works for western instruments and full choir at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. The ensemble was joined by special guest artists Ki Midiyanto, female vocalist Peni Candra Rini from Java, guest musicians from Seattle’s Gamelan Pacifica, Northwest New Music and Lewis & Clark’s Community Chorale.
Master teacher and performer Ki Midiyanto, a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley, and Peni Candra Rini, a renowned singer and composer from Central Java, performed traditional music of Java with members of VSB, directed by Mindy Johnston. Cellist Diane Chaplin and percussionist Florian Conzetti from Northwest New Music joined University of Oregon faculty violinist Fritz Gearhart and VSB for a performance of Portland-born composer Lou Harrison's 1982 Double Concerto for Cello, Violin and Gamelan, one of the most important works by one of the greatest American composers. Lewis and Clark's Community Chorale, directed by Katherine FitzGibbon, joined VSB musicians for the first American performance of Missa Gongso, a mass written for gamelan and full choir by English composer Neil Sorrell. |
