How do you go from working in economics and infrastructure to being a key part of a gamelan ensemble in Melbourne? For John Cheong-Holdaway, the journey has been anything but conventional.

John spent his childhood in Jakarta and later worked in finance and policy, before returning to Australia and rediscovering his passion for music and cultural exchange. Now involved in Gamelan DanAnda, they build a community, reshape cultural narratives, and make traditional Indonesian art forms more visible in Australia.

John joins Billy Adison Aditijanto on The Perantau Podcast to talk about how his time in Indonesia shaped his career, identity, and love for gamelan; the unexpected links between economics, community-building, and the arts; why Indonesian culture –despite its proximity to Australia –remains underappreciated in the local arts scene; and how the future of Indonesian traditional music might shape in Australia.

This episode is primarily delivered in Bahasa Indonesia.

Find the Perantau Podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ThePerantau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠