Author Archives: emily

Professor Emily O'Dell, AUB's Whittlesey Chair of History and Archaeology, with her students in the American University of Beirut's Archaeological Museum

The American University of Beirut’s Archaeological Museum, which opened in 1902, is the third oldest museum in the Near East, after Cairo and Istanbul.  With collections from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Iran, the museum has an array of fine antiquities for students and visitors to study and appreciate.  If you come to Beirut, make sure you come and see this unique collection!

Emily O'Dell co-teaching a yoga class to refugees in Beirut

“I offer you peace.  I offer you love.  I offer you friendship.  I see your beauty.  I hear your need.  I feel your feelings.  My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.  I salute that Source in you.  Let us work together for unity and love.” ~ Gandhi

This morning I helped teach a yoga class to refugees in Beirut…stay tuned to read an account of this powerful and transformative experience…

This week, Emily Jane O’Dell’s new opera (music by Rex Isenberg) was workshopped at Manhattan School of Music. Richard Danielpour noted that the opera has a “strong libretto” with “very dramatic writing,” and offered exciting suggestions for the opera’s development and performance.

On April 23rd, Emily helped to teach a gamelan workshop to Hofstra University students at the Indonesian Consulate.

On April 21st, Emily gave a talk at Columbia University entitled, “The Era of Turkmenistan’s Great Renaissance: Iranian and Turkmen Foreign Relations” on a panel with Alexander Cooley, George Gavrilis, Henry Hale, and Payam Foroughi.

Playing my part at Asia Society...

Mas Purbo is one of only a very few dalang [puppeteers] who at the same time are first-rate performers of the classical style, but also put forth an original and fresh interpretation of the Mahabharata stories…I am truly impressed by him…He never over-acts.

— Goenawan Mohamed (founder of Tempo magazine and author of the weekly Catatan Pinggir)

The reviews of our gamelan concert–are in, and even the the Village Voice enjoyed the show. To watch our gamelan concert and Mas Purbo Asmoro’s epic Javanese shadow puppet performance at Asia Society, please click here.

The reviews are in – looks like the Obama puppet was an audience fave!

http://www.artsjournal.com/jazzbeyondjazz/2012/03/obama-at-javanese-shadow-puppet-show-asia-society.html

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/03/ki_purbo_asmoro_wayang_kulit_asia_society_march_16.php

Come see our celebrated Javanese gamelan group, Gamelan Kusama Laras–fresh off of the success of our sold-out concert at Lincoln Center–play pre-show background pre-show music at THE STONE this week-end. The Stone is located at the corner of Ave. C and 2nd street. Admission is $10 per set at the door. We will be placing twice each night–i.e. before and in between sets.

On FRIDAY, December 16th, the band will be Moss of Aura.
On SATURDAY, December 17th, the band will be Bright Moments/Kelly Pratt.
On SUNDAY, December 18th, the band will be Lucky Dragons.
PLEASE NOTE: We will be playing from 7:45 pm – 8 pm each night and in between sets as well.
If you can’t catch this informal gamelan jam, definitely get tickets before they are sold out for our March 16th shadow puppet play performance at Asia Society with one of Indonesia’s most famous puppeteers! Tickets can be purchased at this link: http://asiasociety.org/calendars/javanese-wayang-kulit-shadow-puppet-theater-indonesia