Philip Acimovic

Phil Acimovic is a composer and gamelan musician from Easthampton, Massachusetts. His music has been performed by the Empyrean Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble and numerous solo performers. He recently completed a set of solo instrumental works, inspired by abstract visual artists and their ability to mix unease with quietude. He studied composition at the Hartt School, Tufts University and UC Davis, and worked closely 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. Acimovic’s music has been featured at various new music festivals including June in Buffalo, New Music on the Point, SICPP and the Revision/s Festival. He currently sits on the Artistic Advisory Committee of the CitySpace arts center in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Phil studied Javanese Gamelan in Central Java for two years. His main teachers are Bp. Wakidi Dwidjomartono and Bp. Darsono Hadiraharjo and he worked closely with Bp. Midiyanto and Barry Drummond. In 2018 he organized and managed a tour of a gamelan gadhon troupe from Java, performing at eleven institutions across the United States. He directs the Smith College Gamelan Ensemble, the Yale University Gamelan Ensemble and is a longtime member of Gamelan Laras Tentrem. He served as editor for a book of gamelan scores as part of the Lontar Foundation's Wayang Educational package.