Ki Ageng Ganjur is a group of young muslimgenerations of the
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) that have interest and talent in music. Most of their
social and educational background are from pesantren (traditional Islamic
boarding school) and graduated from IAIN (State Institute of Islamic Studies)
of Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Besides, some of the crews also graduated from
ISI (State Institute of Arts of Indonesia). As part of the pesantren community,
they have a slightly different opinion in viewing religion and culture. They
highly appreciate local culture, tradition of their predecessors and modernity,
while they still keep the value of their religion (Islam). They reject any kind
of radicalism, fanaticism and formalism and symbolism in religion. Instead,
they promote the value of tolerant, harmony and humanism. To simulate the
spirit of tolerant and harmony, Ki Ageng Ganjur has composed music by
elaborating many kinds of defferent music, such as ethnical music (India,
Middle Eastern, Java, Sunda and Bata styles), modern music (Jazz, rock,
dangdut, pop and classic styles) and religious music (kasidah, shanty mantra
and Gregorian). It is aimed at touching feeling, heart and soul of human beings
and bridging all diversity of human beings. Besides, Ki Ageng Ganjur revives
Islamic traditions, in terms 0f sufi poetry, Islamic wise saying and Islamic
literature. In doing so, Ki Ageng Ganjur put them in the lyrics of Ki Ageng
Ganjur. The lyrics then arranged by non typical music of Islam, such as the
lyric of salawat badar accompanied by Gregorian music and lyric of salawat
badar arranged by Shanti Mantra arrangement.
Ki Ageng Ganjur was established in 1996 by KH. Abdurrahman Wahid
(Gus Dur), the former president of Indonesia, and now iti is led by Al-Zastrouw
Ng. The name of KI Ageng Ganjur was derived from an ulama (a muslim leader)
living inithye time of Demak Kingdom, Ki Ageng Ganjur or Syeikh Abdurrahman. He
was the muslim figure who used traditional music for Islamic propagation. He
always brought the big Gong calles Ganjur. That is way he was called Ki Ageng
(big) Ganjur. He had 25 followers who were good in music. Eighteen are
musicians; three singers; and four are crews.
Vision and Mission
The vision of Ki Ageng Ganjur is to foster religious harmony in the
society and to reject all kind of radicalism, religious symbolism and any
violence on behalf of religion.
The Mission is to create a kind of music that enables to foster
harmonious life among followers of diverse religion and beliefs, and that gives
an alternative poor the religious dialogue.
Objectives
1.
To grow peaceful religious
expression
2.
To gifht againt narrow-minded,
radicalism, violent of religious expression
3.
To develop arts and culture
that still uphold traditional and religious values.
4.
To develop alternative arts
that can be used as means to spread the true peaceful Islamic value.
5.
To develop local traditions in
order to enrich the development os Idlamic arts.
Activities Ki Ageng Ganjur
The main activity of Ki Ageng Ganjur is composing music that enables
it to encpurage the spirit of togetherness and religiousity. The composition
derives from many kinds of traditional, modern, local and religious music.
Then, the composition performed in Islamic Boarding School (pesantren), places
for worship (mosque, church and pure), public places and national TV Stations.
In the performance, Ki Ageng Ganjur usually combines the music with the Islamic
preaching, dialogue and discussion on various topics that relates to the vision
of Ki Ageng Ganjur, like inter religious harmony. Attracting more people, Ki
Ageng Ganjur often invites famous artists. In 2005 Ki Ageng Ganjur perform the
shadow puppet (wayang kulit), called Wayang Simphony where Ganjur changed some
musical pattern of the shadow puppet. In addition to that, Ki Ageng Ganjur also
has collaborated with many musival groups from different styles, like Hi-Hop
Ambassador Tony Blackman from USA, Hindus musical group from Bali, Islamic
Salawat Group Hadaad Alwi and some jazz musician.
The followings are among the activities or performance Ki Ageng
Ganjur in Televisions :
1.
“Two Directions” a combination
of religious music with pop, rock and dangdut music. Performed in the National
Television of Indonesia (TVRI) in 2000.
2.
“Sharing Our Feelings” a
combinations of entertainment and discussion. This program is dedicated for the
victims of Gunung Merapi eruption in Yogyakarta, performed in the National
Television of Indonesia (TVRI) in 2001.
3.
“Wake up My Nation” performed
in ANTV Jakarta in 2000
4.
“Ramadan Syair dan Dzikir” in
TPI (Indonesian Educational Television) in 2001
5.
“Dendang Kisah Sufi” in Ramadan
on TPI 2002.
6.
“Pesantren Budaya” in Ramadan
TVRI Jakarta 2003, TPI 2004, TVRI Jakarta 2005, TVRI Yogyakarta 2006 and TVRI
Jakarta 2009
7.
“Orchestra of Wayang Simphony”
in TVRI 2004 and TPI 2005
The Live
Event of Ki Ageng Ganjur :
1.
“Concert Weak Up My Nation”
from March to June 2000 in four cities : Bandung, Malang, Semarang and
Yogyakarta.
2.
“Concert of National Awakening”
on June 2001 in GOR Saburai Bandar Lampung.
3.
“Istighotsah” (Religious
cleansing ritual) during 1998 and 1999 in cooperation with Muslim leader in
Java and the NU
4.
“Reciting Culture” in
cooperation with Kantata Takwa musical group in 1998
5.
“Tabligh and Dzikir Budaya”
from 2003 to 2005 in cooperation with PT Djarum to help Pesantren (Islamic
boarding School) five places in Nort Sumatra, five places in Banten and five
places in Lampung.
6.
“Concert of Two Nations”
collaboration with Hip-Hop Ambassador Tony Blackman, group from USA in 2006.
7.
“Music Beyond Religious
Boundary” from 1998 to 2001, collaboration of defferent religious musicians and
Islam-Hindu-Local Traditions
8.
“Djarum Concert 2006” in
cooperation with fifteen Islamic boarding School (pesantren) in West Java,
Banten and Jakarta
9.
“Religious Dance and Drama :
The Traveling of Nine Saints” in Lamongan, East Java, in 2006
10.
“Concert and Praying Across
Religions” for the earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2007
11.
“Religious Concert to Welcoming
Ramadan” in five cities in East Java 2007, six cities in East Java 2008 and
Eight cities in East Java 2009.
12.
“Ramadan, Building Harmonious
Relationship” in ten cities in West Java and Banten 2007
13.
“Religious Dance and Drama ;
The Life of Sunan Kalijaga” in Demak, Central Java 2007
14.
“Concert of Syiar Maulid” in
six cities in West Java 2008 and three cities in West Java 2009 and four cities
in West Java and Banten in 2010.
15.
“Borobudur Spiritual Arts” in
Bororbudur Temple, Central Java in 2008.
16.
“Concert Cultural Mission in
Middle East” in Doha, Al-Khorn Qatar and Dubai UAE in September to October
2009.
17.
“Concert of Crossborder;
Tourism of Nusantara” three cities in Kepulauan Riau (Batam, Bintan and Tanjung
Balai Karimun) in December 2009
