UC Davis Professor of Music Henry Spiller and graduate student
Gillian Irwin spoke with interviewers from the Voice of America,
Indonesia, about student life for Indonesian students studying at
UC Davis, and about the music department’s Sundanese Gamelan
Ensemble.
Gillian Irwin has been a student of ethnomusicology at UC Davis
since Fall 2014. Before coming to Davis, she studied music and
English at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) and served as a
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. At
Davis, Gillian specializes in Indonesian music with interests in
educational and cultural policy, national identity formation, and
the relationship of the region to the nation of Indonesia.
Javanese Gamelan music from Central Java, Indonesia.
Gamelan are Indonesian orchestras that feature bronze
gongs, chimes and other melodic percussion instruments. Gamelan
music incorporates unique tuning systems, intricate melodies,
sophisticated rhythms, and flexible interaction among musicians.
The ensemble will focus on learning the traditional court music
from the city Surakarta.
