Gamelan Gita Santi

Tom Whitman, Ph.D. - Artist

Composer and musician Thomas Whitman first studied Indonesian music as a Luce Scholar in Bali in 1986-7. His primary teacher was the Balinese master musician I Madé Gerindem. Whitman subsequently earned earned a Ph.D. in Music from the University of Pennsylvania and has continued to study Balinese music on numerous research trips to Indonesia as well as with his current teacher in the United States, I Nyoman Suadin. Whitman has taught at Swarthmore College since 1990. While there, he founded Gamelan Semara Santi, the Philadelphia area’s first Indonesian Gamelan (classical percussion orchestra) in 1997, and he has co-directed it ever since

In addition to his college-level teaching, Whitman has served as a volunteer music teacher in several elementary schools in under-served communities. He began the Chester Children’s Gamelan Project in 2004 at Chester Community Charter School, where he provided instruction in Balinese Gamelan to elementary school children on a weekly basis. The program subsequently resided for ten years at Stetser Elementary in the Chester Upland School district and then relocated to Chester Charter School for the Arts for two years. Since the fall of 2018 he has taught Balinese Gamelan two afternoons per week at William D. Kelley School in North Philadelphia. Whitman resigned his tenured position at Swarthmore in 2018 in order to devote more time to composition and to his volunteer work with children, though he remains a part-time faculty member at Swarthmore.

Deddy Raksawardana - Digital Media

Dedi Raksawardana (Deddy) is a director of video productions, including feature films, and is the founder of Kanamusik Studio in Bandung and AIR Production in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia. Additionally, he is a former guitarist of the band, Naff. For 19 years, he worked with the top Indonesian musicians and artists, and he had the honor of bringing Naff to one of the leading pop star groups in Indonesia.

He recently moved to Philadelphia and is now making documentary videos under the production company, Good Avocados.

Sinta Penyami Storms - Modero & Company

Sinta Penyami Storms is a traditional Indonesian dance artist. Beginning her dance training at age five in Indonesia, she continued studying dance throughout elementary school. Tari Bondan (a Javanese dance) was the 1st dance she learned. In Jakarta she began studying Pamonian dance under Rein Puragombo, who was a protege of the renowned choreographer Bagong Kusudiarjo of Yogyakarta. Rein Puragombo created a new style (kreasi baru) of Pamonian dances, based on traditional practices. With him, Sinta learned dances such as Pepoinaya, Mopea ri Lobo, and Motaro. At age 10, she began performing at various venues including the Indonesia Miniature Park (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah).

In 2011, she founded Modero in a mission to preserve and promote the traditional Indonesian culture. Modero has performed locally, nationally and internationally including in Indonesia and the Republic of Panama.

Nikedila De Wanda - Modero Dance Instructor