Cristina Wistari Formaggia, 62, died peacefully of cancer in her hometown of Milano, Italy on 19 July 2008. She will always be known in Bali as the woman behind the Gambuh Preservation Project in Batuan village. Her dedication to the classical performing arts of Bali knew no bounds.

A memorial will be held for Cristina on Wednesday, 30 July 2008 from 3 – 6 p.m. at Cristina’s home behind the Ibah Hotel in Campuhan, Ubud. The Pura Desa Gambuh troupe will hold a short rehearsal in her honor. Please feel free to bring a flower or piece of fruit.

(more…)

This month has seen the loss of two great figures in the world of Gambuh here in Bali. First I Ketut Kantor (I Nyoman Kakul’s son) passed away from a stroke earlier this month and on July 19th, Cristina Formaggia passed away in Europe from lung, brain and liver cancer (all undiagnosed until just before she passed on). She was 62 years young.

Cristina was one of the forces behind the Gambuh Preservation Project and worked diligently and tirelessly to ensure that this form did not disappear.
Thanks to her, we have the wonderful two volume book on Gambuh (in Indonesian) that she edited and a DVD of the Pura Desa Gambuh troupe.

I am currently trying to put some of her life into words for a short article so if any of you have words or photographs to share, please send to me at rucina@indo.net.id. I will then post this article on the list. There is a tribute to her at the URL below.
http://www.themagdalenaproject.org/archive/cristina_wistari.htm

We are all in shock at the loss of this vibrant, dedicated and amazing artist.

Rucina