Oorkaan Ensemble in Indonesia: cultural exchange in motion
"Gong and the four noses" follows the moment when a gong sounds and four "noses" embark on an exploratory journey through various instruments-opening new perspectives through universal musical language." - Tia Mardwi
In May 2025, at the invitation of the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia, the Oorkaan Ensemble traveled to Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Surabaya. We were welcomed with open arms by our Javanese producers. Still, it felt exciting - creating a performance inspired by such a rich and unique culture, and then presenting it in its place of origin, is not a given.
Gong and the four noses was born out of deep research and genuine commitment. And it was seen: our performances were received by a warm, attentive and curious audience - exactly what we had hoped for.
Warm reception
The audience was visibly moved by what Oorkaan brought: an innovative fusion of music and theater. The addition of Indonesian music - with Indonesian composers, traditional instruments and familiar music - was not perceived as cultural appropriation, but rather as a demonstration of love, curiosity and genuine interest.
Ratih, a visitor from Bantul, described the performance as "excellent, world-class".
And from Surabaya, Patrisna May Widuri, founder and director of Amadeus Enterprise, shared the following: "The concert was unique-perhaps unlike anything seen before in Surabaya. Oorkaan Ensemble delivered a distinctive audiovisual experience exploring the sounds of various instruments, including gamelan. The performance was humorous, playful, and entertaining, captivating and delighting the audience, who responded with laughter and applause.”
Valuable exchange
Thanks to the amazing support of all our partners - Erasmus House, Pendhapa Art Space Yogyakarta and Amadeus Surabaya - allowed our tour to grow into a meaningful cultural exchange. At each location, we offered a master class in the Oorkaan Method, and in turn received a workshop in return. Experiences such as a gamelan lesson to ISI Yogyakarta and a behind-the-scenes look at a wayang kulit workshop in Taman Budaya Surabaya enriched our journey in a special way. These exchanges created a mutual sense of respect and equality.
Ali Muchson: "The artistic creation by the four musicians, along with artistic director Caecilia Thunnissen and stage director Yorick Stam, offered a new dimension to musical theater."
Reflections from our partners
The impact of Gong and the four noses extended beyond the stage. Pendhapa Art Space, our partner in Yogyakarta, shared their review of the performance and our collaboration:
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to co-host the Oorkaan Ensemble from the Netherlands. Oorkaan brought a refreshing perspective to both the workshop and the musical theatre performance scene in Indonesia. Their creative approach goes far beyond sound; it incorporates the body as an expressive instrument and explores powerful modes of integration and interaction. The performance was particularly engaging, merging the visible (musical instruments) and the invisible (concepts and ideas), creating a meaningful meeting point between Western and Javanese elements. Rather than presenting these elements in a tense or overly serious manner, Oorkaan infused the show with humor and surprise, making it light-hearted yet memorable and rich in artistic value.”
Bob Wardhana of the Erasmus House joined in and explained why the performance made such an impression on Indonesian audiences in particular:
“The show depicts the charming beauty and cultural richness of Indonesia and a unique blend of Western classical instruments, Javanese traditional gamelan music, and storytelling. This beautiful blend creates a unique stage performance, which well captures the fascinating Indonesian culture. The performance was fun and entertaining - and every show in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya was full house.”
"The concert beautifully merges Western and Eastern performing arts, concluding with the iconic Indonesian song "Bengawan Solo" as a tribute to the country's rich musical heritage."Tia Mardwi for haijogja.com
Outlook
This tour brought valuable inspiration and depth - both for the Oorkaan Ensemble and for the Indonesian musicians and makers with whom we worked. With these new insights and experiences in our pockets, we are now working on our next production: Kantjil and the Tiger, a new co-production with the Toneelmakerij (premiere: Oct. 19 in Amsterdam). This performance, based on Indonesian folktales, is the continuation of our journey: bringing stories to life through the universal language of music.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who made this trip possible!