Petrus Kaseke

Manufacturing career

In 1954, 10-year old Petrus Kaseke made his first kolintang, an instrument "with two and a half octaves diatonic notes." This was an accomplishment, not only because of his age, but because of the area's history.

Overseas performances In spite of the kolintang being suppressed earlier for religious reasons, the kolintang has found a home in Christian faith; the group which took the kolintang and angklung instruments overseas to Sweden did so as part of the Indonesian Pentecostal Church. Kaseke may have been involved in making the group's instruments, as the article stated, "The instruments they played were made by one of the choir members." Kaseke appeared in a photo from that tour, with two children in front of a kolintang.

1970 appeared in Singapore for three days. 1971 performed in Australia for roughly three months and visited more than 50 cities, including Canberra, with the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, Sujitno Sukirno. In 1972 he performed in several New York and Los Angeles, United States cities. In 1973 he appeared in continental Europe, including Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands (with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands.

Activities in old age and the end of his life Kaseke ran his kolintang and angklung-making business until he died. His other activities included leading the Angklung Kolintang choir at the Bethany Salatiga church and teaching music at the bible school in Magelang. He continued to play the kolintang and to take his grandchildren to kolintang competitions (virtually during the Covid pandemic).

He had an advisory role at the Pinkan Regional Management Board (National Kolintang Human Association) Central Java, and wrote a textbook, Kolintang Maimo Kumolintang.