The Gamelan set that sparked a lifelong love: Rohan Iyer '16
Rohan recently completed his Master’s in Ethnomusicology at SOAS and has returned to Australia to apply for his PhD at Monash University. Within his chosen field, Rohan has a primary interest in the music of Southeast Asia with a focus on Indonesia and Thailand. His recently completed Master’s thesis was on Central Javanese vocal singing and the impact of musical notation on performance practice.
He attributes his interest in Indonesian music and ethnomusicology to the stunning Central Javanese Gamelan set in the ABT foyer on Dover Campus. “When I was in middle school I used to play in a beginner ensemble run by one of the music staff (Helen Rhodes). By the time I got to my final year of school, that was the topic of my Extended Essay and I took the initiative to form a high school ensemble that played some more advanced repertoire on the gamelan.”
For his PhD, he plans to study an urban folk music genre of music called Tanjidor, from the outskirts of Jakarta. This topic has received relatively little focus and he looks forward to conducting fieldwork in Jakarta once coronavirus eases.
He has just published his first article “Street-Style Siter Playing and Regional Urban Identity” in Turkey-based peer-reviewed ethnomusicology journal Etnomüzikoloji Dergisi.