Gamelan Pacifica
Art Center · Seattle, WA, United States
About Gamelan Pacifica
Gamelan Pacifica has served as the resident Javanese and experimental gamelan ensemble of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle since its founding in 1980, making it one of the longest continuously active gamelan groups in North America. The ensemble is directed by composer and Cornish faculty member Jarrad Powell, who has guided its programming for more than four decades. Gamelan Pacifica performs a mix of traditional Javanese repertoire and new compositions written specifically for gamelan instrumentation, often in collaboration with Western classical and experimental musicians, a cross-cultural approach that has shaped its identity within the broader Pacific Northwest new music scene.
Over its history the group has toured throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and the United States, and has released several recordings that received international attention, including Trance Gong, Scenes from Cavafy, and Nourishment. Its work has been supported over the years by funders such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, Arts International, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and 4Culture, reflecting its standing as an established nonprofit arts organization rather than a purely academic student ensemble. A 2012 profile in the Northwest Asian Weekly, among other coverage, described the group's role in sustaining gamelan performance traditions in the region for the Indonesian diaspora and broader audiences alike.
Gamelan Pacifica performs regularly at venues around Seattle, including the Seattle Art Museum, Town Hall Seattle, and the Bumbershoot Festival, rather than holding fixed public hours at a single location. The address on file is Cornish College of the Arts' current main campus at 1000 Lenora Street, Seattle, following the college's 2024 relocation from its former Capitol Hill building; this reflects the ensemble's institutional home rather than a walk-in venue open to the public. Those interested in attending a performance or inquiring about the group's gamelan instruments are directed to check its published concert schedule or contact the ensemble directly through its director. No public telephone number is listed for the ensemble itself.
Address
1000 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA, United StatesContact
- Website: https://gamelanpacifica.org
Category
Indonesian Art Center in United States
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