Come hear the vibrant and shimmering sounds of three local gamelan ensembles! Over the years, Gamelan Bike Bike, Gita Asmara, and Kembang Telang have been nurturing the community-based practices of Balinese gamelan music in Vancouver, mentored by some of Bali's most outstanding artists. On May 17, they present a stunning concert of dance and instrumental music blossoming from the island's classical traditions.
Highlights of the evening include kaleidoscopic new music by Ryan Swaryadana, Emon Subandi, I Putu Gede Sukaryana (Balot), and guest performers Shoko Yamamuro, Dewa Ayu Eka Putri, I Putu Tangkas Adi Hiranmayena
Doors open at 7:00pm
Performance at 7:30pm
Presented by Publik Secrets
About the Artists
Gamelan Bike Bike draws its musical inspiration from Bali, Indonesia and its raw materials from the scrap metal bins of Vancouver. Founded as a community-based project, the ensemble brings together a diverse group of artists to materialize and animate new experimental instruments. They transformed over 100 discarded bicycle frames, along with other scrap metals, into a range of tuned metallophones and gongs that form the foundation of their sound. The ensemble is dedicated to performing new music for gamelan, including compositions from guest composers I Putu Gede Sukaryana (Balot) and I Putu Swaryandana Ichi Oka from Bali. Their new album Teka-Teki (2024) was be released by Indonesia-based label Insitu Recordings. The ensemble offers introductory workshops as well as longer term opportunities for people to learn and play gamelan together.
“Gamelan Bike Bike has proved to be a fertile environment for cross-cultural artistic innovation, presenting Indonesian music from a uniquely Vancouver perspective” (Jakarta Post)
Gamelan Gita Asmara was founded as a community ensemble in 2001 and in 2006 became a registered Non-Profit Society. Using a new kind of Balinese gamelan set called Semaradhana, the group learns Balinese repertoire on an intensive practice schedule. Members bring long-term focus and commitment to rehearsal and performance. It is a dedicated collective committed to mastering this challenging music together, the rewards of making something of aesthetic and social value, and the joy of sharing this with audiences.
Gamelan Kembang Telang performs traditional and contemporary Balinese gamelan music. The ensemble’s unique instruments are associated with the instrumental music used to accompany Wayang Kulit, the art of Indonesian shadow puppetry. The group’s repertoire features contemporary works by Ryan Swaryandana and I Made Subandi which showcase bold new directions in techniques and styles. The ensemble’s name refers to the blossoming of the blue telang flower, a vibrant and medicinal plant which adorned the gamelan studio of I Made Subandi, the group’s late mentor.
Publik Secrets supports and enables artist-led initiatives that spark critical conversations and risk-taking through new configurations of artists, audience, and community.
*Supported by the City of Vancouver's Communities and Artists Shifting Culture (CASC) program
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The Annex is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded Indigenous territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)
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