The Ken Shorley Trio The Ken Shorley Trio is a dynamic world-percussion group, with a sound that is energetic, intimate, acoustic, and groove-centric. Based in Canada, the trio performs original compositions for hand drums and percussion instruments from around the globe. Led by percussionist-composer Ken Shorley (Nova Scotia), the trio also features the percussive talents of Adam Campbell (Toronto) and Denis Martin (Montréal).
Gamelan Since 2005, I have been fixated, obsessed, and in all possible ways entranced by the sounds, rhythms and textures of Indonesian Gamelan. I have been studying Sundanese gamelan degung intensely with invaluable guidance from Simon Cook (London, UK) and Ade Suparman (Bandung, Indonesia).
In 2006, along with my partner Heidi, I imported a set of gamelan instruments, in order to gain more hands-on access to this beautiful music. In 2007, I recorded the CD Sekar Alit, which contains a selection of my own compositions for gamelan. In the spring of 2008, I had my first professional gamelan “gigs”, as a temporary member of Toronto’s Evergreen Club Gamelan, when they performed in Halifax at the Scotia Festival of Music.
In the fall of 2009, I began teaching an Introduction to Gamelan course at Acadia University, as well as leading the newly-formed Acadia Gamelan Ensemble, on the instruments of the Mindful Flower Gamelan (a Sundanese gamelan degung which is currently in residence at Acadia). In addition to presentations of traditional Sundanese music, my ensemble has premiered an exciting new work for gamelan and 6-voice choir by Nova Scotia composer Peter Togni in January 2010. In 2011, the ensemble gave the North American premiere of Ade Suparman's dynamic work, Babalen. If you'd like to see and hear more about Gamelan at Acadia (including a few YouTube performance clips), click here.
