This occasion marks the first Los Angeles concert of American gamelan composer Daniel Schmidt (b. 1942) in nearly 40 years. Schmidt was central to the development of American Gamelan music: the weaving of traditional Eastern gamelan music together with 20th Century minimalism. First emerging in the 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, he notably studied and collaborated with composer Lou Harrison (1917-2003.) To realize his own compositions – and create new possibilities for others – Schmidt built several sets of gamelan instruments in the course of his career, including the Berkeley Gamelan.

In the past decade, the avant garde LA-based record label Recital has published three albums of Daniel Schmidt’s music, most notably the majestic In My Arms, Many Flowers. Featuring archival recordings from 1978 to 1982, the LP garnered critical praise and created a new legion of fans deeply moved and obsessed with Schmidt’s distinctive oeuvre.

This is the inaugural concert of the Berkeley Gamelan in its new home; Earlier this year Schmidt gifted the set of instruments to Recital's Sean McCann and composer Sarah Davachi, herself a former student of Schmidt. The pair are already carrying on its tradition here in Los Angeles. Along with gamelan player and composer Cordey Lopez, they have gathered an ensemble of local players to perform Schmidt's work at this event.

A professor of gamelan and instrument building, Schmidt taught at Mills College for nearly 20 years. At 81 years old, Daniel is now retired, still composing and building gamelans in every idle hour. Schmidt will attend and introduce the concert.

In addition to several classic Schmidt compositions, new works for gamelan and electronics will be premiered by Sarah Davachi, Cordey Lopez, and Sean McCann.

A night of curious beauty and woven emotions hidden within resonating pieces of metal.

Photo of Deborah Schmidt by Daniel Schmidt, c.1982