When harpist Samantha Murray, garden and education coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a member of the UC Davis Class of 2025, presented her senior recital, she weaved in her "passion for the harp, her admiration for bees and the rich beauty of Javanese music."
Her senior recital, now on YouTube, is incredible. We asked her for the description.
"At the 18:02 mark, I begin introducing a very special composition titled Lebah Menari (Dancing Bees), which I created in collaboration with Heni Savitri, director of the UC Davis Gamelan Ensemble. This piece is particularly meaningful to me as it weaves together my passion for the harp, my admiration for bees, and the rich beauty of Javanese music. The lyrics are sung in Javanese and celebrate the movements and contributions of bees."
Here are the lyrics and translation:
Jineman
Ngisep sekar, kombang ing taman
(Bees landing on flowers in the garden)
Sumerbak arum gandanya, sekar kang mekar ing taman
(What a fragrant of flowers that bloom)
Endah warnanira, lan kumbang kekiteran
(Beautiful colors and surroundings by butterfly and bees)
Ngalor, ngidul, ngetan, ngulon miber mencok
(Going north, south, east and west the bees landing and flying)
Ngisep ngencup, sekar kang ana ing taman
(They suck the flowers in the garden)
Mabur mencok, Ngisep ngencup.
(Flying, landing)
Ladrang
Kombang iku bisa ngasilke madu
(Bees can produce the honey)
Yekti kang piguna tumrape para manungsa
(That is very important for us(human)
Yen den usik mbebayani
(If you bother them can be dangerous)
Ngelingana marang pigunane.
(Just remember the benefits of the bees)
"The next piece that follows is called Victorian Kitchen Garden and it is written for harp and clarinet," Samantha said. "It evokes my love for gardening and the shifting moods of the seasons. Together, these two pieces reflect my deep connection to both music and the Bee Haven pollinator garden!"
Samantha, known by her family and friends as "Sam," received her bachelor’s degree in music from UC Davis last Sunday. Throughout her UC Davis career, she has performed with the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Flute Choir and the Harp Ensemble
In addition to her passion for pollinator gardens, she's a beekeeper. What does she admire the most about bees? "Their remarkable work ethic and the essential role they play as pollinators, supporting ecosystems and agriculture alike."
Samantha became involved with the UC Davis Bee Haven last summer when she served as a lab technician for Richard Martinez, a graduate student in the E. L. Niño lab in the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. “I was assisting with his research on nutritional diets for bees,” she related.
At her commencement last Sunday, Samantha smiled and shook the hand of Chancellor Gary May. Then their hands formed a heart. Go, Aggies! Well done!
About the UC Davis Bee Haven
The UC Davis Bee Haven, a project of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) and installed in the fall of 2009, is located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Laidlaw facilty The half-acre demonstration garden includes more than 200 native plants, and more than 80 species of native bees have visited the site, as recorded by UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Robbin Thorp (1933-2019).
Director of the UC Davis Bee Haven is bee scientist Elina Niño, professor of UC Cooperative Extension, Apiculture, and a member of the ENT faculty. In addition, she is the founder and director of the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program.
The Haven is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Admission is free, as is the first hour of parking, according to the UC Davis Transportation Services.
When you arrive, you'll see "Miss Bee Haven," a six-foot-long ceramic-mosaic sculpture of a worker bee. It's the work of Donna Billick of Davis, who served as the co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art-Science Fusion Program with UC Davis Distinguished Professor (now emerita) Diane Ullman of ENT.
And you'll see the pollinators. It's literally a "haven" and "heaven" for pollinators.
