ARTS organisation Pusaka recently announced its inaugural university scholarship. It will fully support the undergraduate education of Irsyad Abdul Rahman, a student of traditional music, at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), it said in a statement.
Irsyad, a young musician from Machang, Kelantan, was recently accepted into UPSI to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
He has been immersed in the music of Wayang Kulit since the age of four and started learning seriously at eight years old.
Now 21, Irsyad has already mastered the various drums of the Wayang Kulit tradition such as gendang, geduk, gedombak. He has also started playing the serunai.
Apart from traditional music, Irsyad also plays drums in an indie-music band called Parkingsong. He is a founder with his elder brother Syafiq, who is lead vocalist and bassist.
Irsyad first studied the music of Wayang Kulit Kelantan from his father, Abdul Rahman Dollah, formerly a lead musician with the legendary late Tok Dalang Dollah Baju Merah. Abdul Rahman now heads Kumpulan Wayang Kulit Sri Warisan Pusaka.
Pusaka worked closely with Tok Dalang Dollah Baju Merah until his demise in 2005. It has since nurtured Kumpulan Wayang Kulit Sri Warisan Pusaka as the heirs to Tok Dalang Dollah’s performance style and sensibility.
In 2015, Pusaka collaborated with Arts Midwest to organise a one-month Wayang Kulit tour in the United States featuring Kumpulan Wayang Kulit Sri Warisan Pusaka.
Then only 15, Irsyad was the youngest member of the touring group and won the hearts of everyone he encountered with his talent and quiet charm.
Irsyad began his undergraduate course in Music Education at the Department of Music and Music Education of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, UPSI, in October this year.
UPSI’s Department of Music and Music Education encompasses education from the classroom to the concert hall, and from faculty-led groups to those run exclusively by students.
Pusaka’s inaugural university scholarship for Irsyad will last for the duration of four years, after which other candidates will be selected. – The Vibes, December 14, 2022
