The following text is taken from Front Magazine, vol. IX, no. 2, p. 8, November/December 1997:

Fresh from their Toronto appearance at the Gamelan Summit – A Canadian Celebration of Indonesian Performing Arts, the ensemble presents a selective repertoire of original compositions and classic Javanese music and dance. The concert will feature guest artists Sutrisno Hartana and Anis Wiji Astuti from Yogyakarta, one of the main cultural centres of Java.

Vancouver Community Gamelan has had several activities in the last season including presentations at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, Shadbolt Centre, Haywood Bandstand, Dancing on the Edge Festival and a recording for CBC Radio’s – West Coast Performance.

Sutrisno Hartana is the ensemble’s current master teacher from Java. He is an accomplished dancer and musician as well as a composer and choreographer. A graduate (S.Kar) of Yogyakarta’s Fine and Performing Arts Academy (ISI), he has toured with Indonesian performing groups to Europe and East Asia, created his own dance dramas, and worked with senior Javanese choreographers such as Bagong Kussudiardjo. He is currently a staff member of the Indonesian Consulate-General in Vancouver where he teaches Javanese gamelan and dance.

Anis Wiji Astuti, Sutrisno’s wife, is a highly skilled Javanese dancer, vocalist, and instrumentalist who also earned a degree (S.Kar) in traditional music (karawitan) from ISI Yogyakarta.