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Fundraising Concert presented by AIAA

Saturday November 6th, 2004, Byron Bay Community Centre Theatre

Featuring Musician-In-Residence EFEN JANEUDIN and
Greg Sheehan, Peter Davidian, Salendro Gamelan, Langen Sari Gamelan Orchestra, Gold Coast Balinese Dancers, Jade Dewi, Tim Shanasy, Rampak Kendang (Wahyu Roche and Kym Hall), and the Jambu Jam Band.

Byron Still Loves Bali, the climactic event to the three month tour of Musician-In-Residence Efen Janeudin took place in Byron Bay’s newest (and only) full production theatre, in front of a packed out and wildly enthusiastic audience of many long term and some new friends of Indonesia. This three hour multi-cultural feast realized over $3,000 for direct assistance to victims of the October 2002 bombing in Bali.Active AIAA member Lyn Vanderstukken was in Bali meeting with the victims we’ve been assisting for the past two years to ascertain progress and assess ongoing needs, and was reporting back to our office as we were heading into the production.

The audience arrived into an exotically transformed theatre vestibule, thanks to the decorations of Beth McEwan, and the wafting aromas of Indonesian cuisine courtesy of Rice Restaurant.

ABC Radio North Coast morning presenter Fiona Wyllie handled the huge task of emcee with an aplomb and effusiveness that reflected her deep connection to Bali and its people. A brief reminiscence by Hannabeth Luke, a young Byron Bay woman who’s fiance was killed in the bombing, set the importance of this fundraising event in context without rancour or morbidity.

The Salendro Gamelan group of Byron Bay began the evening with Efen and Magenta Grace eventually departing from the ensemble for a lilting suling duet of the master and devoted student. A dance duet solo by the renowned Balinese dancer Ibu Sri and her student Nuri Sundiarti, residents of the Gold Coast, was spellbinding, as was the duet between Iranian/Australian sitarist Peter Davidian and Efen that concluded the rich first part of the programme.

The intermission was a stampede to the food stalls as well as our raffle and CD stand that was selling the newly recorded CD of piano and suling duets by Efen and Tim Shanasy entitled "Breath of Peace".

The second part of the concert began with a highly dramatic display of West Javanese percussion with Wahyu Roche and Kym Hall. The extremely delicate sounds of Tim Shanasy on piano and Efen on suling entranced the audience audially, while the stupendously graceful modern dancer Jade Dewi enraptured all with her choreographic interpretation of their music. It is hard to imagine a more beautiful and unusual trio, and many commented that they should continue to collaborate on longer works in future.

Byron’s well-established Langen Sari Gamelan Orchestra gave a fine performance as usual, followed by a duet by Bpk Nyoman Suma, Juki Darsana and Rumboko in a drama dance of Balinese origin that brought their culture into vivid and exquisite focus.

The most modern face of Efen’s musical collaborations took full flight on stage. Efen played a variety of instruments to master innovative percussionist Greg Sheehan’s startling rhythms to a gripped audience. This segued into the long, danceable finale that saw Efen fronting an all star eastern/western band in an original and joyous Indo-Australian groove.

The evening proved that music and dance are indeed great connecters between all peoples, and beyond all languages and differences. AIAA founder Judith Shelley was thrilled with the evening, and said “ JUDY QUOTE”. The only problem—how to go one step further with the next major event??

Alison Pearl

 

Photography by Simone Pileggi,Byron Bay