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Swara Naga Play Byron Beach Hotel

Local Armidale performing group Swara Naga Gamelan from UNE travelled to Byron Bay to perform in the Inspirasi Indonesian Arts Festival Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July.

Swara Naga is Australia’s foremost Indonesian Gamelan/World Music fusion group playing Degung Gamelan from West Java, which is a traditional Indonesian melodic percussion orchestra. Swara Naga do not stick to tradition however. Along with the traditional repertoire they play contemporary compositions, collaborate with musicians of other styles, and have made a name for themselves local, nationally and internationally as a world music fusion group.

During the Inspirasi Indonesian Arts Festival Swara Naga performed two major concerts – at the Byron Buddha Bar on Saturday Night and at the Beach Hotel 2pm on Sunday afternoon 17 July. This was the first time that any gamelan group has ever performed at the Beach Hotel.

Many thanks are in order to Kym Hall for calling the members of Swara Naga together from Armidale, Coffs Harbour and Brisbane and coordinating their participation at the Festival – Kym herself flew in from Bandung and drove straight down to Byron to perform at the Festival – with the flu as well! We were also very fortunate to welcome Swara Naga’s special guest performers Mike Burns, Dodik Darmani, Efen Jaenudin and Chris Coles.

A very special thank you is in order for David Goldsworthy - Founder of Swara Naga. The group are about to celebrate their 25th Anniversary with a big reunion in Armidale next year. David is also the Founder of gamelan in Byron Shire – dedicating many long hours of time driving to Byron and back to Armidale to teach gamelan here, with Kym’s help - as well as lending and renting gamelan orchestras to Byron groups such as Gamelan Langen Sari for several years.

Swara Naga Website: www.une.edu.au/arts/Gamelan