Saw Peep YouTube Playlist
Saw Peep’s Instagram

Saw Peep
Kentuckiana based Saw Peep Pan-Asian ensemble that plays music of Southeast Asia, and the Silk Road; and new compositions for intercultural ensembles.
Saw Peep rehearsing Ki Nartosabdo's "Gambang Suling" at the World Affairs Council lobby downtown Louisville!
November 9, 2025
#IndonesianMusic #JavaneseMusic #Gongs #Riqq #Bass #Flute #Oud #Sitar #Violin #Louisville #AsianMusic
1 week ago

Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble members Sheryll, Divya, and Roxell with one of our new members, Angela, displaying her magnificent bass!
#Bass #Louisville #AsianMusic #AsianAmericanMusic
Photo credit: Jon Silpayamanant
2 weeks ago
![Jon Silpayamanant performing Adile Sultan’s “Hicaz Hümayûn”* At Raqs Maqom: Dances & Music of Central & West Asia in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
October 19, 2025
World Affairs Council Lobby
223 South Fifth Street
Louisville, KY
Adile Sultan (1826-1899), the daughter of Mahmud II, was an Ottoman princess, a Diwan poet, and a philanthropist. Education in the Quran, Arabic, Persian, music and calligraphy, she also had her own ensemble (ince saz takimi) consiststing of women musicians.
*Also known as “Gizlice şaha buyur, hâne-yi tenhâya buyur.” [Secretly come to my kingdom, my heart].
Raqs Maqom was founded in 2008 by dancer Taletha Al Badr and musician Jon Silpayamanant and is currently led by Jo Hadley, founder and director of Crescent Moon Dance Company, and Jon Silpayamanant, founder and director of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.](https://www.sawpeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/568497457_18287529442276453_1720769723603346896_n.jpg)
Jon Silpayamanant performing Adile Sultan’s “Hicaz Hümayûn”* At Raqs Maqom: Dances & Music of Central & West Asia in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
October 19, 2025
World Affairs Council Lobby
223 South Fifth Street
Louisville, KY
Adile Sultan (1826-1899), the daughter of Mahmud II, was an Ottoman princess, a Diwan poet, and a philanthropist. Education in the Quran, Arabic, Persian, music and calligraphy, she also had her own ensemble (ince saz takimi) consiststing of women musicians.
*Also known as “Gizlice şaha buyur, hâne-yi tenhâya buyur.” [Secretly come to my kingdom, my heart].
Raqs Maqom was founded in 2008 by dancer Taletha Al Badr and musician Jon Silpayamanant and is currently led by Jo Hadley, founder and director of Crescent Moon Dance Company, and Jon Silpayamanant, founder and director of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.
1 month ago

ASIAN STRING BAND MUSIC
South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence Room
Saturday, December 13, 2025, 8PM
Did you know that Asia has string band traditions? When we think about string bands the image that comes to mind are old-time or jazz ensembles made up mainly or solely of string instruments that were especially popular in the 1920s and 1930s but have been making a comeback. Some of the oldest Asian string bands, like kronchong in Indonesia and rondalya in the Philippines, date back to the early colonial period in the 1600s.
Come hear and see a wide variety of Asian String Band ensembles and genres in this presentation by Jon Silpayamanant. Jon will talk about some of the string band music that Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble performes and demonstrate some instruments from his personal collection which he uses in performances with Saw Peep. In the presentation, you will also get a glimpse of the string band world created by generations of Asian immigrants in the US.
'Asian String Band Music' is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble's COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: https://www.sawpeep.com/southcentralregionallibrary-floorplan )
Artist-in-Residence Room
South Central Regional Library
7300 Jefferson Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40219
(502) 964-3515
www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Program
https://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150
About Jon Silpayamanant:
Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.
As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and create systems of exclusion.
1 month ago

Asian & Asian American Performing Arts in Kentuckiana (AAAPAK)
AAAPAK (Asian & Asian American Performing Arts in Kentuckiana) is a resource and curated list of events by performers and performing arts organizations which focus on Asian and Asian American arts, and the performing arts of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, in the greater Kentuckiana area. The list is compiled by Jon Silpayamanant, founder and artistic director of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.
https://www.facebook.com/AAAPAK502/
#AsianArts #AsianAmericanArts #AsianAmericanPerformngArts #PerformingArts #Music #Dance #Theater #AsianMusic #AsianAmericanMusic #AsianDance #AsianAmericanDance #AsianTheater #AsianAmericanTheater #Louisville #Kentucky #NewAlbany #Indiana #Jeffersonville #Clarksville
2 months ago

RAQS MAQOM: DANCES & MUSIC OF CENTRAL & WEST ASIA
In partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana, Raqs Maqom is pleased to announce 'Dances & Music from Central & West Asia,' a celebration of folk and classical arts from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang.
The performance will showcase dances from Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. The dances feature choreographies by People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Viktoria Akilova, Muhabbat Beknazarova, Jo Hadley, Travis Jarrell, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Qadir Muminov, and Hanna Romanowsky of Ballet Afsaneh. Musical accompaniment for the dances, and the instrumental numbers performed in between, have been arranged and adapted by Jon Silpayamanant for Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.
WAC Lobby
223 S 5th Street
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
Oct 19, 2025 – Doors 1:30/Show 2pm
Free (please RSVP as seating is limited: https://worldaffairscouncilofkentucky-bloom.kindful.com/e/see-paw-raqs-maqom-program)
#CentralAsianDance #CentralAsianMusic #WestAsianDance #WestAsianMusic #PersianDance #PersianMusic #UzbekDance #UzbekMusic #AfghanDance #AfghanMusic #UyghurMusic #SyrianMusic #ArmenianMusic #TurkishMusic #Sitar #Cello #Bass #Kamanche #Oud #Dumbek #Doira #Def #Flute #Qanun @h.edgewalker @jonsilpayamanant @dr.meena.sitar @worldkentucky
2 months ago

Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble playing music from Indonesia, Malaysia/Southern Thailand, and the Philippines onstage at Asian Night Market 2025!
Photo by McKenzie Gary
September 13, 2025
Fourth Street Live!
Louisville Kentucky
Photo by McKenzie Gary
Saw Peep is:
Penelope Quesada – flute
Sheryll Impellizzeri – violin
Chelsea Getty – cello
Jon Silpayamanant – vocals, dumbek
Helen Holifield – ching, def, riqq
Roxell Karr – keyboards
arrangements/adaptations – Jon Silpayamanant
#Louisville #AsianMusic #SoutheastAsianMusic #IndonesianMusic #MalaysianMusic #ThaiMusic #FilipinoMusic #Cello #Violin #Flute #Dumbek #Def #Riqq #Ching #Keyboards
@4thstlive justlifenow2025 @jonsilpayamanant @h.edgewalker @asiainstitutecranehouse
2 months ago

Saw Peep members Penelope, Sheryll, and Chelsea music from Indonesia, Malaysia/Southern Thailand, and the Philippines onstage at Asian Night Market 2025!
Photo by McKenzie Gary
September 13, 2025
Fourth Street Live!
Louisville Kentucky
Photo by McKenzie Gary
Saw Peep is:
Penelope Quesada – flute
Sheryll Impellizzeri – violin
Chelsea Getty – cello
Jon Silpayamanant – vocals, dumbek
Helen Holifield – ching, def, riqq
Roxell Karr – keyboards
arrangements/adaptations – Jon Silpayamanant
#Louisville #AsianMusic #SoutheastAsianMusic #IndonesianMusic #MalaysianMusic #ThaiMusic #FilipinoMusic #Cello #Violin #Flute #Dumbek #Def #Riqq #Ching #Keyboards
@4thstlive justlifenow2025 @jonsilpayamanant @asiainstitutecranehouse
2 months ago
Saw Peep performing Niladri Kumar's "Aahista" from the Hindi film "Laila Majnu" (directed by Sajid Ali) at the World Affairs Council Kick-Off Reception for WorldFest 2025!
Galt House Hotel
Waterford Room
August 29, 2025
Featuring Meena Khan Atif on sitar
Penelope Quesada – flute
Sheryll Impellizzeri – violin
Chelsea Getty – cello
Denise Collins-Martinez – oud
Helen Holifield – def
Divya Karthikeyan – def
Jon Silpayamanant – dumbek
Roxell Karr – def
Arrangement/adaptation by Jon Silpayamanant – cellist, composer, multi-instrumentalist
#WorldFest #Louisville #Bollywood #HindiFilm #India #Flute #Violin #Cello #Dumbek #Keyboard #Oud #BollywoodSong #BollywoodMusic #ARRaman #LouisvilleWorldFest #LouisvilleWorldFest2025 #WorldFest2025
3 months ago











![Jon Silpayamanant performing Adile Sultan’s “Hicaz Hümayûn”* At Raqs Maqom: Dances & Music of Central & West Asia in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
October 19, 2025
World Affairs Council Lobby
223 South Fifth Street
Louisville, KY
Adile Sultan (1826-1899), the daughter of Mahmud II, was an Ottoman princess, a Diwan poet, and a philanthropist. Education in the Quran, Arabic, Persian, music and calligraphy, she also had her own ensemble (ince saz takimi) consiststing of women musicians.
*Also known as “Gizlice şaha buyur, hâne-yi tenhâya buyur.” [Secretly come to my kingdom, my heart].
Raqs Maqom was founded in 2008 by dancer Taletha Al Badr and musician Jon Silpayamanant and is currently led by Jo Hadley, founder and director of Crescent Moon Dance Company, and Jon Silpayamanant, founder and director of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.](https://www.sawpeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/568497457_18287529442276453_1720769723603346896_n-320x287.jpg)





