2024 Festival Schedule
Friday, April 26 - Wild Beast
7:30 pm Tabla Ensemble
8:05 pm North Indian Ensemble
8:50 pm Balinese Gamelan Music & Dance
Saturday, April 27 - Wild Beast
5:00 pm Persia Electric Ensemble
7:00 pm North Indian Faculty Ensemble
8:45 pm Latin Caribbean Collective
Sunday, April 28 - Wild Beast
5:00 pm Japanese Ensemble
6:00 pm African Ensemble (Lund Dance Theater)
7:30 pm World Percussion Ensemble
8:50 pm Guest Artist: Extra Ancestral
All programming is subject to change. This program listing will be updated as performing ensembles are confirmed.
Ensembles
African Music and Dance Ensemble The CalArts African Ensemble will be bringing you some traditional sights and sounds from the country of Ghana, West Africa. The students of this ensemble will perform music and dance from the Ewe people of Southeastern Ghana and Togo, the Fon of Benin, and the Dagomba of Northern Ghana. Each regional style of music uses different instruments indigenous to where they originate, while also being accompanied by equally unique styles of dance, movement and song.
Balinese Gamelan (Music and Dance) Directed by master-artist teacher I Nyoman Wenten and Nanik Wenten, gamelan Burat Wangi ("Fragrant Offering") brings the music and dance of Bali to the greater Los Angeles region. This year celebrates the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the U.S and Indonesia. Burat Wangi invites the audience to experience and be a part of the deep, rich, and highly communal nature of Balinese gamelan.
Extra Ancestral (Guest Artists) Extra Ancestral brings together the fusion of different cultural manifestations of the African Diaspora. Narrated through powerful dancing, Extra Ancestral in depth performances unifies music, dance and visual arts. Historically, music & dance have been considered the oldest form of medicine and Extra Ancestral seeks to combine that tradition of healing through their performances that incorporate such genres as Afrobeat, Reggae, Jazz, Salsa and other traditional African forms.
Japanese Ensemble The Japanese Ensemble is a group of Calarts students, alumni, and community members performing using traditional Japanese instruments such as the Kato, Shamisen, and Shakuhachi. The ensemble is made up of experienced players as well as complete beginners, all taught and led by Kozue Matsumoto. The program comprises a selection of traditional folk songs such as the famous 'Sakura,' sankyoku-style music, and contemporary music including a J-Pop song.
North Indian Faculty Ensemble Experience the magic of the delicate and melodious Indian Classical Music Raga. Exfoliating moods and rhythms presented by highly acclaimed Santoor Maestro Pt. Madan Oak, accompanied on tabla by world renowned Padmashri Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri, who is a longtime faculty member at CalArts.
Persia Electric Ensemble Reflecting on the intersection between ancient and new forms, the ensemble will perform works from Persian repertory: Saghi Nameh and Sufi Nameh, alongside the newest analog drum machines, controllers and digital software; reflecting on electronic genres and sampling that mangle, de-construct, and splice back together a new music yet to be defined.
Tabla Ensemble Under the direction of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and co-taught by Randy Gloss, the CalArts Tabla Ensemble (comprised of students, alumni, and faculty) draws from the vast repertoire of North Indian tabla to present both traditional and contemporary material arranged specifically for the ensemble.
World Percussion Ensemble The CalArts World Percussion Ensemble is an ongoing experimental forum for bringing together the percussion, drumming and world music traditions at CalArts. The ensemble bridges cultures and musical ideas, creating entirely new works for percussion consisting of both highly fixed compositions and extended improvisations. The World Percussion Ensemble was conceived in the early days of the institute by founding faculty and percussion vanguard, the late John Bergamo. It remains a vital and integral platform for percussionists and world music students to explore the possibilities within the world of drumming. The World Percussion Ensemble is led by CalArts faculty Randy Gloss.