Jody Diamond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jody Diamond
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Jody Diamond in 2008
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| Born |
Jody Diamond
April 23, 1953 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (B.A. Music, Communication, and Culture) San Francisco State University (M.A. Interdisciplinary Studies in Music and Education) |
| Occupation | Composer, performer, writer |
| Known for | Founder, American Gamelan Institute (1981). Artist in Residence of Harvard University 2007–2017. |
Jody Diamond, born on April 23, 1953, in Pasadena, California, is an American composer, musician, writer, and teacher. She is well-known for her work with gamelan, which is a special type of music from Indonesia. Jody travels around the world, sharing her knowledge and performing gamelan music.
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About Jody Diamond
Jody Diamond studied music and education at the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University. She earned her first degree in 1977 and her master's degree in 1979.
Her Work with Gamelan Music
In 1981, Jody started the American Gamelan Institute. This organization helps people learn about and enjoy gamelan music. She also edits a journal called Balungan, which is about gamelan. Jody also helped create Frog Peak Music, a group for composers.
She received special awards, like the Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship, to study music in Indonesia. She also received two National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships to research Indonesian composers and the gamelan music of Lou Harrison.
Jody has created many pieces for gamelan. Some of her music is based on old songs from different cultures. Her compositions have been played all over the world. She often performs with a group called Gamelan Son of Lion. They even played at the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival in Indonesia in 1996. A CD of her gamelan music, called "In That Bright World," was recorded in 2001.
Teaching and Collaborations
Jody was an Artist in Residence at Harvard University from 2007 to 2017. There, she used gamelan instruments built by Lou Harrison and William Colvig for projects and performances. She also taught at Dartmouth College from 1990 to 2016. At Dartmouth, she directed gamelan groups, including one that played Javanese gamelan and another that played Balinese gamelan.
She has also taught at other universities, including the University of California, Berkeley and Mills College. In 2017, she worked with Evan Ziporyn at MIT for concerts celebrating Lou Harrison's 100th birthday.
Jody Diamond was the gamelan teacher and arranger for the American composer Lou Harrison. She worked with him from 1976 until he passed away in 2003. Harrison and William Colvig gave their largest Javanese-style gamelan, called Gamelan Si Betty, to Jody. She also owns another set of instruments called Old Granddad #4.
Personal Life
Jody Diamond is of Jewish heritage. She was married to the composer Larry Polansky.
Selected Music Works
- 1981 In that Bright World: A piece for voice and gamelan, based on an Appalachian folk song.
- 1982 Sabbath Bride: A gamelan piece based on a Hebrew melody.
- 1984 Hard Times: For chorus, violin, mandocello, and gamelan, based on a Stephen Foster song.
- 1990 Kenong: A piece for the Javanese kenong instrument and several players. It has also been changed for other instruments.
Writings
- "Out of Indonesia: Global Gamelan": An article from 1998 that reviewed many gamelan recordings made outside of Indonesia.
- "Interaction: New Music for Gamelan": Notes that came with a CD of the same name in 1992.
- "'In the Beginning Was the Melody': the gamelan music of Lou Harrison": An article from 1987 about Lou Harrison's gamelan music.
Recordings
- In That Bright World: Music for Javanese Gamelan: This CD features Jody Diamond's compositions. Musicians from the Indonesian National Arts Institute in Surakarta, Central Java, performed the music. You can find more information about it online.
