The ensemble’s first gamelan was a purple set with its gong ageng (largest gong) named “Nyi Tentrem” (Miss Peaceful). It was made in the mid 19th century and played in a village as a wayang set (i.e., slendro tuning only) for many years before coming to the US in the early 1970s. It circulated through UC Berkley, Boston, and UC San Diego before our ensemble’s founder Professor Stephen Everett purchased it with the help of an unrestricted grant from Cherry Emerson. It was expanded with the purchase of additional instruments, tuned to match the original set’s gender keys, and played through 2005, when it was sold to Shorter College.
The full set of Javanese Court gamelan instruments (both slendro and pelog tunings), that we continue to play to this day, were purchased after the collapse of the Asian economies in 1998. They were made by Pak Djumadi and Pak Tentrem Sarwanto of Surakarta, instrument makers to the Court of Surakarta, Java. Midiyanto of UC Berkley helped select the instruments and tuned them soon after their arrival in the US. On February 11th, 2014, Made Lasmawan ceremonially named this gamelan set, Paksi Kencana (Sacred Eagle)
Between fall 2007 and 2013 the group was led by Tong Soon Lee, and played a new, bespoke set of instruments provided by Dr. Andrew Weintraub (Professor of Ethnomusicology, University of Pittsburgh) who chose the Emory Gamelan Ensemble as one of five recipients of a set of Sundanese gamelan degung, generously donated by Dr. Tony Lydgate.
From 2013 through 2014, Dr. Elizabeth Clendinning (now at University of Wake Forest) led the ensemble with Claire-Marie Hefner. It was at this time that Balinese style gamelan instruments were ordered with help from Made Lasmawan. Pak Made named the Balinese Bela Ganjur set Jaya Merdangga (Victorious Drum).
For more recent leadership history see Current Members and Previous Members.
Reference: Rob Tauxe’s Emory Gamelan Ensemble History notes
