House of Gongs

This creative space was founded by cultural practitioners Ron Querian and Lydia Querian, driven by their deep respect for Filipino Indigenous knowledge, it became a kuleana to embody this wisdom in their work. Their commitment to fostering connections with various Indigenous communities and their skilled artisans led to the inception of the organization.

Motivated by the challenges encountered by Filipino/a/x individuals in the US concerning cultural identity and well-being, House of Gongs utilizes different art forms with focus on music, dance and textile art as a catalyst for transformation. Recognizing the historical and minority struggles that contribute to a sense of identity loss, we aim to provide cultural guidance in today's assimilated environment.

House of Gongs programs focus on nurturing artists with music, dance and art inclination, seamlessly integrating Indigenous knowledge and wisdom into their creative endeavors. Through dialogues, workshops, and immersive experiences with Indigenous master artists, we facilitate an understanding and appreciation of Filipino Indigenous art inspiring and influencing diasporic works that embody them.

One of our flagship initiatives is the Gongsters Paradise, an immersive experiential concert where participants dive into the intricacies of Filipino Indigenous music, dance and arts culminating in recorded works showcased individually in a presentation form, The only kulintang festival in North America. This platform highlights the dynamic evolution of Filipinx-American music and arts, bridging tradition with innovation.

We are committed to supporting artists who embody the essence of tradition while embracing innovation, assisting them in recording, producing, and presenting their works to the broader community for appreciation and enjoyment.

FOUNDERS:

Lydia Querian is a multifaceted artist known for her groundbreaking work in realms of fashion, dance, music and art production. With her visionary approach, she is a Telly Award winning artist who has created a mark on the cultural landscape of the Filipinx diasporic community by promoting pre-Philippine Indigenous living traditions. 

Born and raised in the heart of Metro Manila, Philippines, her early experiences were steeped in the balance of urban culture along with the influence of her family’s ancestral practices even after migrating from their respective provinces. In 2010, her journey to migrate to California was a transformative experience through gradually understanding the nuances and contrasting perspectives between her homeland and the Filipinx diasporic community. This served as a catalyst for her continuous evolution and work. 

As a dance artist, Lydia toured both nationally and internationally alongside respected groups such as Dancing Earth, Kularts, Parangal Dance Company, Fusion Dance Project and San Francisco Kulintang Legacy. Her artistic presences graced several stages including Smithsonian FolkLife, Merrie Monarch, Folk Faro Portugal and Danza in Spain. She was recently a collaborating choreographer and director of UH Manoa's Dancing in the Diaspora choreagrpahing her debut piece "Currents" in Oahu, Hawaii.

Her community work extends beyond stage co-founding organization and chairing others with programs that became pillars in the Filipinx diasporic community both in California and Hawaii including the only Kulintang Festival in North America - Gongster’s Paradise and Uni at Ugat, the only Filipino Indigenous focused music camp in North America. 

In fashion, her work has been featured in fashion week runways in New York and Paris and has been featured as a designer in Vogue, Preview and Huffington Post. 

She believes that by marrying timeless Indigenous wisdom with art forms of the present, we stand as ambassadors of tradition, protectors of the environment and champions of change.

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Ron Querian also known as Kulintronica is a musician on a mission to make kulintang a "house"-hold name by fusing this ancient Filipino gong instrument with modern electronic dance music. He currently teaches Philippine Ensemble at UH Manoa Ethnomusicology department.

As a product of San Francisco's eclectic multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary art scene, Kulintronica was once a guitar and bass player in various groups.  Solidifying his work ethic, getting command of different tempos, and incorporating more technology into his instrument, his artistic direction led him to lead an improvisational live looping dance band; until a cultural awakening led him down a new exciting direction.

An invitation to perform at a Philippine Culture Night after participating in a Rondalla workshop ended up being a life changing experience.  The repertoire for this show required not only guitar music but also the diversity of Philippine musical instruments including all shapes of bamboo and various sizes of gongs. This experience awakened something within the young musician known as Ron, and he found himself unable to turn away from the music of his Filipino ancestors.  Not long after this, Ron met the master kulintang artist Danongan "Danny" Kalanduyan.  Under Kalanduyan's tutelage, Ron learned of the traditional art of Maguindanaoan kulintang playing, and the potential of kulintang music to reach people on a deep level.  He also had his own ideas to combat the threat that kulintang music might cease to grow.

Having armed himself with an intergenerational wealth of musical methods and compositions, Ron put all of his gathered tools and experiences together to synthesize a new kulintang music for the new generation, and it is called Kulintronica.