Author: Hannah

Hannah presents at UNS’s International Awards Summit on Javanese Culture

Universitas Sebelas Maret UNS held their 1st Annual International Awards Summit on Javanese Culture on October 28th 2017 with an aim to develop discussion and share ideas related to Javanese culture. The event was opened with a keynote speech from Dr. Hilmar Farid, the Head of the Directorate General of Culture from the Ministry of Education and Culture and a panel discussion was held between experts in the field, Jennifer Lindsay, Kathryn Emerson and Ki Purbo Asmoro. Hannah presented a version of her TED talk about jam karet (rubber time) and keroncong, and was among presenters from a variety of disciplines ranging from religious studies to architecture. The event closed with an incredible stream of performances including a short wayang.

Clifftop Appalachian String Band Festival

Photo by Amos Perrine for No Depression.

The Clifftop Appalachian String-Band Festival is a week-long gathering for musicians and friends that features concerts, contests, flatfoot dancing, campfires and workshops. Rumput entered the Neo-Traditional competition and made it to the finals!

We also made some great new friends.  Watch for future collaborations, shows, and crankies with this year’s neo-traditional winners The Early Mays.

See the write-up at No Depression.

Shadow Ballads

In April 2016 we toured with Shadow Ballads — a collaborative music and shadow theater performance involving Balinese master puppeteer Gusti Sudarta, master Javanese kroncong musicians Peni Candrarini and Danis Sugiyanto, and old-time Appalachian balladeers Anna & Elizabeth. This production incorporated new arrangements of traditional Indonesian and Appalachian music as well as a newly produced crankie based on The Ramayana.  We performed at The University of Richmond, Cornell, Wake Forest, Bucknell, the Indonesian Consulate in NYC and the Indonesian Embassy in DC.

Photos, bios & tour/production blog