Phil Acimovic is a composer and gamelan musician from Easthampton, MA. His compositions explore austere musical worlds that contrast states of serenity and disquietude. Acimovic’s recent work explores free rhythm and alternative pitch systems. Through these elements he encourages performers to craft their own interpretations, a direct inspiration from his experience as a gamelan performer. During the pandemic he completed a set of three solo pieces influenced by the abstract artists Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, and Agnes Martin.
Acimovic’s music has been performed by the Penn State Other Arts Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Empyrean Ensemble, Chris Froh, John McDonald, and others. In 2018 he served as the first Artist-In-Residence at the Cold Hollow Sculpture Park in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. Acimovic studied composition at UC Davis with Kurt Rohde and Sam Nichols, at Tufts University with John McDonald, and at the Hartt School of Music with Ken Steen and David Macbride. He is currently a Lecturer in Music at Yale University.
Acimovic studied Javanese Gamelan in Central Java with master musicians Bp. Wakidi Dwidjomartono and Bp. Darsono Hadiraharjo, and in the U.S. with Bp. Midiyanto and Barry Drummond. In 2018 he conceived, planned, and managed a tour of a gamelan gadhon troupe from Surakarta, Java, performing at institutions across the U.S. He directs the Smith College Gamelan Ensemble, the Yale University Gamelan Ensemble, and Gamelan Lebdo Budoyo in Western Massachusetts. He served as editor for a book of gamelan scores as part of the Lontar Foundation's Wayang Educational package.
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