2024
Music Leader for Evolve Music
Organised a sold out Indonesian culture fair at the Ashburton Arts Center for which I taught multiple workshops shops, performed, and provided traditional Indonesian food
Private instrumental tutor for piano, guitar, drum kit, gamelan (Indonesian percussion)
Facilitator for Good Vibrations (a charity that provides week long gamelan, Indonesian percussion, sessions in prisons)
Organised the purchase, shipping, and reception of several newly built Javanese instruments for the University of York
Music Tutor for Latimer Tuition
Run sold out Japanese Fermentation workshops
2023
Solo oil painting exhibition at Butterwalk, Totnes
Organised a small scale music festival, and performed with a group of some of the most skilled Gamelan players in the UK as well as running gamelan workshops
Organised the Acquisition of a Javanese Gamelan for South Devon which I now teach weekly at Ashburton Arts Centre to adults and children
Private instrumental tutor on piano, guitar, drum kit, gamelan (Indonesian percussion)
Completed an oil painting for a commission in-situ on St. Agnes, Scilly Isles
Ran several sold out Japanese fermentation workshops
Ran a sold out ticketed menu event in partnership with a local farm
2022
Private instrumental tutor on piano, guitar, drum kit, gamelan (Indonesian percussion)
Sold several original paintings and commissioned art works
Set up Sharpham Gamelan Gadhon (a small gamelan ensemble)
Facilitated sessions in schools and wrote music and performed at Poplar Union for the charity Mindful Music
Organised several community music events for my students to showcase their work (including their own compositions) at Lower Sharpham Farm which garnered wonderful feedback
Attended the Aesthetica Short FIlm Festival in York as a composer for the award winning film Cat and Moth
Short-listed for an art prize to compose an audio-performance installation at the Waterford Gallery
2021
Exhibited an Oil painting at The Hive, Shrewsbury
Led the Kitchen at Kiosk Cafe and curated a food based project which raised the money for a Sumartran orphanage to pay for all the equipment needed for the children’s education and to support the arts including putting on a traditional shadow puppet show, Wayang.
2020
Sold 10 original oil paintings
completed 3 commissioned original oil paintings
Composed an audio-visual piece for the Arc Project bringing together players and composers form around the world
2019-2020 - Awarded the Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian government to study Gamelan at the most prestigious arts conservatoire in Java, ISI Surakarta
Also studied Javanese royal dance music at the Mangkunegaran palace in Surakrata, Java
2017-2019
Eurythmy Pianist for York Steiner School
Continued private teaching of piano
One of two chefs cooking at Cave du Cochon
2015-2018 - Studied music at the University of York, graduating with first class honours.
Created several mixed-media art installations
Composed for the York Gamelan, Sekar Petak, including a piece which was used to welcome the Indonesian Ambassador to York
Was a member of several free improvisation ensembles and performed with major artists on the scene including Neil Luck and Squib Box
Set up and ran the music department folk sessions
Session musician for the radio series ‘Wooden Overcoats’
2012-2015 - Lead, played for, rehearsed, composed and arranged music for a 10 piece folk band which played private functions and festivals around the UK, released a sold out self produced E.P, organised several sold out concerts which we headlined, as well as playing live on BBC three counties breakfast show.
I am a musician, workshop leader, artist, and teacher based in Exeter; I work all over the UK.
Generally my work is informed by socially engaged art and Central Javanese aesthetics, as well as philosophical writings, such as Dewey’s work on art and education and John Cage’s expression of philosophical ideas through music. My recent work has included setting up South Devon Gamelan at Ashburton Arts Centre; organising a three day music and traditional craft festival; organising, curating, and delivering multiple Indonesian performing art festivals at Ashburton Arts Centre; several commissioned landscape and portrait oil paintings; as well as running Japanese and Indonesian fermentation workshops.
I spend a lot of time working with artists and non-artists to create community music and socially engaged installation art. Having graduated with first class honours from the University of York reading music I went on to study Solonese Karawitan (traditional music for gamelan, an Indonesian percussion orchestra) at Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta, Indonesia. The difference in teaching as well as the radically different musical aesthetics I experienced has informed my practice which now, emphasises: processes; cycles; and group collaboration and learning. Completing paintings and compositions creates the necessary balance to ongoing artistic engagement with groups, charities, and traditions.