Press Releases

House of Gongs is excited to announce a series of upcoming events and initiatives aimed at celebrating and preserving Indigenous cultural traditions. These programs include festivals, hands-on teaching sessions, and community gatherings that honor traditional arts and music while fostering a sense of unity and appreciation. Join us in supporting the preservation of these rich cultural heritages and celebrating their vibrant legacy.

Gongster’s Paradise 2019: A Stronger Kulintang Force

SAN FRANCISCO — This year’s Gongster’s Paradise, a kulintang party celebrating the growing community of kulintang music in North America, will be held at Oakland Asian Cultural Center on May 4, announced Mindanao Lilang Lilang and House of Gongs. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

Kulintang musician preserves Indigenous Filipino sounds with hands-on teaching

When Danongan "Danny" Kalanduyan, a kulintang musician from the southern Philippines, died in 2016, it was a wake-up call for Ronald Querian.

Querian, a San Francisco-born kulintang player, wanted to continue the work of his mentor. He and his wife, Lydia, founded House of Gongs, a learning space that honors both tradition and innovation on gong-row music and other Indigenous Filipino instruments.

Gongsters Paradise’ kulintang fest back live in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – Gongster’s Paradise, “the only Kulintang Festival in North America,” returns with its one-of-a-kind celebration of music and arts inspired by indigenous Filipino music.

The Talaandig Tribe Of The Southern Philippines Shows That Reforestation Takes A Village

When Datu Rodelio “Waway” Saway was younger, his exhalations hung in the cool morning air of the Philippine rainforest in his village of Songco as he gazed out at Mount Kitanglad, nearly 10,000 feet tall.

He attributes the disappearance of his breath fog over the years to global warming.

Gongster’s Paradise

My name is Lydia, and I’m a gongster. But not the type that Michelle Pfeiffer had a hard time with. In the kulintang community, a Gongster is someone who is currently practicing or who has practiced Pilipino gong-row music may it be kulintang, kulintangan or gangsa.