Phil Acimovic is a composer and gamelan musician from Easthampton, MA. He writes
concert music for soloists, chamber ensembles, and orchestra. His recently completed a set of solo instrumental works, inspired by abstract visual artists, and influenced by the mixture of unease and quietude during the onset of the recent pandemic. He studied composition with Kurt Rohde, Sam Nichols, John McDonald, Ken Steen, and David Macbride.
In 2018 he served as the first Artist-In-Residence at the Cold Hollow Sculpture Park in northern Vermont. His works have been performed by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, the Empyrean Ensemble, Chris Froh, and John McDonald. Acimovic’s music has been featured at various summer festivals, including June in Buffalo, New Music on the Point, SICPP, and the Revision/s Festival.
Acimovic studied Javanese Gamelan in Central Java with Bp. Wakidi Dwidjomartono and Bp. Darsono Hadiraharjo and has worked closely with Bp. Midiyanto. In 2018 he conceived and managed a tour of a gamelan gadhon troupe from Surakarta, Java, giving concerts at eleven institutions across the U.S. He directs the Smith College Gamelan Ensemble, the Yale University Gamelan Ensemble, and is a longtime member of Gamelan Laras Tentrem. He has directed gamelan groups at Williams College, Tufts University, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and the Mynah Music School. He was an editor for a book of gamelan scores as part of the Lontar Foundation's Wayang Educational package.
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