Richard North

Richard North is a Continuing Lecturer in the Ethnomusicology Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Department of Music. He specializes in teaching and performing Indonesian and Malaysian Gamelan music, with a focus on Cirebon, Sundanese, and Malaysian traditions. He has held academic positions at UCSB since 2015 and previously at UC Santa Cruz, Hawaii Loa College, North Seattle Community College, and San Jose State University.

His expertise includes ancient Cirebon Gong ensembles, Topeng masked dance accompaniment, and the history of Javanese music. Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, he has conducted extensive fieldwork in Cirebon since 1976, collaborating with the Kacirebonan Palace and receiving accolades from both the royal palace and the Indonesian government for preserving Gamelan traditions.

North directs the Santa Barbara community gamelan group Sinar Surya, which has released two commercial CDs (a third is in progress). His work bridges academic research and community engagement, emphasizing cultural preservation and cross-cultural exchange.