Uni at Ugat: Gongs from the River

House of Gongs presents Uni at Ugat: Gongs from the River. An offering to the Oahu community to connect and interact with Maguindanao Master Artists Sata Abdullah (Ilod Kulintangan - downstream) and Farid Guinomla (Laya Kulintangan - upstream) from Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat, Philippines.

The evening is a space for music workshop, dialogue and performances on ancestral instrument, Kulintang. Kulintang music is a gong-row music and drum ensemble indigenous to several parts of the Philippines. Kulintang was believed to be played in many islands in the archipelago pre-colonial period and is also common among Southeast Asian countries. Today, kulintang is still practiced among different communities in Southern Philippines.

ARTISTS:

Abdulfarid Kamensa Guinomla, popularly known as Farid Guinomla, is an award-winning kulintang musician, and a member of the top-rated traditional Maguindanaon music group Datu Piang Kulintang Ensemble.
Farid has an astounding kulintang music heritage. His mother’s uncle was the prodigy Amal Lemuntod, who as a teenager was recorded for the 1955 Smithsonian Folkways release Music of the Maguindanao in the Philippines. Farid’s uncle was the great Filipino-American kulintang master Danongan "Danny" Kalanduyan.
Farid Guinomla's well-developed communication and teaching skills are a result of his day job as a community health care nurse. In recent years, his passion for traditional kulintang music has been shared at cultural exchange events throughout the Philippines. He really looks forward to jamming with the kulintang musicians of America!
Meet Sata Egal Abdullah, or as we call him "Bapa Sata". He is a full-blooded Iranun from Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Philippines, and a proud member of the Magui Moro Master Artist group. Bapa Sata participated in the Musical Travelogue of The Philippines, where he performed at prestigious venues such as Kaplan Concert Hall Center at Towson University in Maryland, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Galeria Posada in Sacramento, Bayanihan Community Center in San Francisco, and Edith Coliber Festival of Cultures at Berkeley, all in 2006. In 2008, he further showcased his expertise in traditional instruments used in a Kulintang Ensemble during a teaching demonstration at Skyline College in San Bruno, California. His commitment to cultural promotion was also evident when he attended and performed at the Hibabi Project Exhibit, Weaving Peace and Dreams Textile Arts of Mindanao, held in San Francisco in 2017.He was also present at numerous cultural festivals in the Philippines. He participated in the Dayaw Festival (2004 to 2017), the Aliwan Festival from 2008 to 2014, Kadayawan Festival in 2015 and 2016, and the Kalilangan Festival in 2018, just to name a few. He also continues to contribute to the Shariff Kabunsuan Festival since 2020 and Araw ng Cotabato since 2021.

The event is open to all ages. A $15 ticket is asked to support House of Gongs' continuous programming to connect culture bearer from the Philippines with the Filipinx diasporic community.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Performances by:

Kulintronica

UH Kulintang Ensemble

Ashton Obrero

Host or Publisher House of Gongs