The Artists
The Artists
Originally from Bali and began studying Balinese dance and music at the age of seven and received formal training at KOKAR, the Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Denpasar, Bali. He has traveled and performed throughout the United States since 1988. Mr. Suadin is the Founder and Artistic Director of Gamelan Mitra Kusuma in Washington, DC. He teaches at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., the University of Maryland, Gettysburg College, and Bard College; and is a regular guest artist with Balinese gamelans throughout the United States.
Was principally trained in western music (cello, viola da gamba, composition, and theory), Tom began studying Balinese music in 1986 as a Luce Scholar in Indonesia, where his primary teacher was the late I Madé Gerindem. He subsequently studied Balinese music with Michael Tenzer, I Wayan Rai, Indra Sadguna, and his current teacher, I Nyoman Suadin. He has taught at Swarthmore College since 1990. He collaborates with Gapura , offering Gamelan to the Indonesian community in South Philadelphia.
Sinta Penyami Storms is an Indonesian dance artist as well as a visionary, community leader, and activist who nourishes and promotes dance, fashion, cuisine, and other aspects of Indonesian tradition. In 2011, she started Modero Dance Company to promote her art and provide a safe space for the Indonesian community. Besides sustaining the Indonesian community's creative economy, Modero dancers are actively involved in social justice issues such as race and gender equality, immigration issues, and worker's rights. Sinta has been awarded the Philadelphia Cultural Treasure Fellowship in 2022 and Leeway's Transformation Award in 2021.