World-Renowned Balinese Artists to Present Opera Inspired by ‘Oedipus Rex’ at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross departments of theatre and music, supported by the Lilly Vocation Discernment Initiative, will present a rare opportunity to see an Arja prembon, or Balinese opera. Dr. I Wayan Dibia, visiting fellow in Balinese arts, has organized a New England tour of Adhipusengara, based on Sophocle’s Oedipus Rex. This performance will feature a cast of hugely accomplished musicians and performers of world renown, including I Wayan Dibia, Ni Made Wiratini, Ni Nyoman Manik Suryani, I Nengah Susila, Ni Made Pujawati, I Nyoman Saptanyana, and Ida Ayu Ari Candrawati.

The Arja will be performed at Holy Cross on April 19 at 8 p.m. in the Brooks Music Hall. The artists will conduct a seminar in Arja forms and techniques prior to the dance-opera at 4:30 p.m., also in Brooks Music Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

Among the many genres of Balinese theatre, Arja — or classical Balinese dance-opera — is of particular importance due to its adaptability to the modern world and to international audiences and its status as the most popular genre of Balinese performing arts. As a genre, Arja has been revolutionary in representing the lives of ordinary men and women as being as complex as the loves of the nobility. According to Pak Dibia, Adhipusengara is about "the consequences of not believing in the power of God." The evening will be a mesmerizing evocation of the island of Bali and its arts, which have become extremely influential in modern Western art.

Professor Lynn Kremer of the department of theatre says, "It’s sort of a miracle that we will be able to present this amazing production at Holy Cross. Because of our visiting fellow program and the illustrious people we’ve been able to attract to campus [Dibia and previous fellow Desak Made Suarti Laksmi], we have these strong connections that now make Holy Cross an expected venue for productions of this artistry and magnitude."

With the great interest in Adhipusengara, the performance may be standing room only, so audience members are advised to arrive early.

Dibia is one of the world’s most distinguished performers, composers, and choreographers of Balinese music and dance. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA and has held a professorship in Balinese choreography at the prestigious National College of Indonesian Arts in Denpasar, Bali. He is the author of Kecak: The Balinese Vocal Change of Bali and the seminal text and guidebook, Balinese Dance, Drama, and Music. He is a member of the Bali Art Council and the Society of Indonesian Performing Arts. He has performed in a variety of international tours in Australia, Europe and the United States.

For more information about Adhipusengara, please contact Joe Mader at 508-793-3490.