The historic Connecticut Street Armory hosted Gong Nusantara: A Night of Music and Legends on May 24 as Nusantara Arts presented a performance highlighting traditional Indonesian music as part of its two-day Ayo! Festival.
“Ayo!” means “Come along!” or “Let’s go!” Nusantara Arts explained in a pamphlet handed to eventgoers, adding, “We are thrilled that you have accepted our invitation to come along with us on a beautiful journey showcasing a small look at the vast art and culture of Bali and Java.”
The featured concert, The Soul of Java, was led by Heri Purwanto, a master musician from Central Java who is currently completing a five-month artist residency in Buffalo. The performance featured a full bronze gamelan ensemble and showcased a range of Javanese styles, from court music to celebratory village pieces.
The instruments, imported from Indonesia in 2021 after a $40,000 fundraising campaign, are part of Nusantara Arts’ broader mission to share Indonesian culture with Western New York audiences.
“We’ve had all sorts of people here from Buffalo, people from all over the city, more than we expected,” said board member Brian Moseley. “I think a lot of people are really excited about coming to this awesome space, of course. Some people in Buffalo drive by this space all the time and wonder what’s inside. So a lot of people are excited to be here.”
“And it turns out it’s a really awesome space to hear music as well. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have both the Balinese and the Javanese gamelan here. People are really excited to hear about it.”
Moseley noted the community’s embrace of the festival reflects Buffalo’s welcoming character.
“Buffalo is a city of immigrants. We’re a city of good neighbors,” he said. “And so it’s so awesome to see people out supporting us and supporting what makes Buffalo so great.”
Audience members included Lynne Miller, mother of Nusantara Arts Executive Director Matt Dunning.
“I think Buffalo has quite a diverse culture anyway, so this just brings one more into it,” Miller said. “A little bit more knowledge — you might think you know something about Indonesia, and the music — well, this really brings that to life.”
Nusantara Arts was founded in 2016 and became a nonprofit organization in 2019. Earlier this year, Nusantara Arts opened an Indonesian Culture Center in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village and continues to collaborate with both local and international artists.
For more information, visit nusantaraarts.com.