Eleanor Academia is a master of Kulintang, the ancient gong and drum music of the Southern Philippines. She was the first “outsider” and American to be allowed in the legendary village of Kulintang masters in the ancient city of Dulawan in Minadanao, Philippines. A direct mulit (lineage holder) of recognized Philippine Kulintang master artists, Academia is the founder and director of the World Kulintang Institute and Research Studies Center in Reseda, California.