COMMISSIONING PROJECT 2022: WITHIN

Gamelan Pacifica is honored to commission three new works by composers

MARGUERITE BROWN, WAHYU THOYYIB PAMBAYUN & Peni candra rini

Marguerite Brown is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who explores new mediums, forms, and performance practices with an emphasis on unorthodox approaches to tuning and temperament. Born in Seattle in 1990, she is one of the important emerging composers of her generation. Among American composers she is one who has had considerable experience with the gamelan, both as a performer and composer. Recent awards include first place in the 6th Annual Microtonal Guitar Competition and the Mivos/Kanter String Quartet Prize for her string quartet in just intonation.

Wahyu Thoyyib Pambayan was born in Surakarta, Java in 1994. He is an important emerging artist in the gamelan tradition, known for his outstanding gamelan skills, teaching and innovative compositions. He has been active during the pandemic to post many videos online and also to organize the Merdu Ruang project, which created and curated music specially designed for medical workers and patients in the critical times of Covid-19, providing tranquility, comfort, and hope. 

Peni Candra Rini is the daughter of a master puppeteer from East Java Indonesia, and one of few female contemporary composers, songwriters, poets, and vocalists who performs sinden, a solo style of singing with the gamelan. Strongly committed to preserving and sharing the musical traditions of her country, Candra Rini has created many musical compositions for vocals, gamelan, and karawitan, and has collaborated with various artists worldwide. Gamelan Pacifica first brought her to Seattle as a guest artist in 2011. 

The new compositions by Brown, Thoyyib Pambayan and Candra Rini will be recorded by Gamelan Pacifica and become part of a new record entitled WITHIN, to be released in 2024.

Special thanks to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and to 4Culture of King County for helping to fund this project.