York students influenced by musicians from the Far East

The Indonesian SambaSunda Quintet extended their stay in the city after performing at the National Centre of Early Music (NCEM) on Sunday and taught a group of first-year music students at York St John University.

SambaSunda brings together an array of instruments, including a violin, a bamboo flute, known as a suling, and kendang drums, to create a new kind of Gamelan orchestra. They are known for fusing urban rhythms with the ancient instruments and tones of the Indonesian music.

Chris Bartram, senior lecturer in music at the university, said: “This is an exciting addition to the course, the students attended a performance at the NCEM and then got to meet with the musicians and learn more about this musical style – this is a real privilege. We like the students to experience as much practical work as possible.”

The workshop formed part of a module entitled ‘drumming’, an exploration of rhythm and percussion through the ages.

The SambaSunda Quintet played at the NCEM as part of the ‘Making Tracks’ music series, which sees talented world music musicians play in York as part of a partnership with 12 major music venues in the UK.