Gamelan Sekar Jaya

Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Name	Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Origin	San Francisco, California
Genre	Balinese gamelan, world music
Years active	1979–present

Gamelan Sekar Jaya is a community-based Balinese gamelan ensemble founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1979 that performs traditional and contemporary Balinese repertoire. The ensemble links the musical traditions of Bali with artistic communities in San Francisco and beyond, collaborating with artists from Indonesia, United States, Australia, and Europe and appearing at festivals, museums, and academic institutions. Gamelan Sekar Jaya has played a role in intercultural exchange among groups associated with Yogyakarta, Ubud, I Ketut Losah, I Wayan Berata, and institutions like University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, San Francisco State University, and arts organizations such as the Asia Society.

History

Founded by American enthusiasts and Indonesian masters in 1979, the ensemble emerged during a period of increased interest in Balinese arts following tours and residencies by Balinese performers to the United States and collaborations with institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Lincoln Center. Early guidance came from visiting artists from Bali, including pedagogues linked to the royal courts of Ubud and ensembles from Gianyar Regency and Singaraja. Through partnerships with community organizations in San Francisco, residencies at venues such as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and connections with ethnomusicologists at University of California, Berkeley and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the group developed a dual mission of performance and education. Over decades the ensemble weathered shifts in funding trends influenced by policies from municipal arts councils in San Francisco and national arts initiatives like the National Endowment for the Arts and maintained relationships with touring Balinese masters such as I Nyoman Wenten and Gusti Made Tedja.

Musical Style and Repertoire

The ensemble specializes in Balinese gamelan gong kebyar, gender wayang, beleganjur, angklung, and tabuh kreasi, drawing repertoire from schools in South Bali, East Bali, and Northern Bali. Arrangements include traditional pieces associated with temple ceremonies in Pura Besakih, court pieces from Puri Ubud, and contemporary compositions by Balinese composers who worked with ensembles tied to figures like Dewa Ketut Alit and I Made Lebah. Performance practice reflects influences from teachers linked to the pedagogical lineages of I Wayan Lotring, I Gusti Made Raka, and senior artists from the Gamelan Gong Kebyar movement. The repertoire also engages with cross-cultural collaborations that reference works by John Cage, Pierre Boulez, Steve Reich, and Indonesian modernists such as Raden Mas Samsuri, producing programs that juxtapose traditional palindromic gongan structures with experimental staged works.

Instruments and Ensemble Structure

Instrumentation centers on bronze metallophones and gongs characteristic of Balinese ensembles: multipleស reyong, gangsa, ugal, trompong-style melodic instruments, kempur, and the large gong gede, supported by kendang drums and ceng-ceng cymbals. The ensemble’s configuration adapts for genres—beleganjur processional forces emphasize kendang and kendang-specific drumming techniques linked to lineages from Tabuh Bale traditions, while gender wayang requires paired gender instruments and suling flutes associated with shadow puppet performance from schools in Central Java and Bali. Tuning practices reflect the dual pelog and slendro systems preserved in Balinese casting workshops such as those in Tenganan and metallurgical traditions from foundries in Gianyar.

Performances and Touring

Gamelan Sekar Jaya has performed at venues and festivals including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony’s halls, BAM programs, the SFJAZZ Center, and international festivals in London, Paris, Berlin, and Jakarta. Tours have involved collaborations with Indonesian delegations to cultural exchange programs organized by the U.S. State Department, non-profit presenters like Cal Performances, and museums such as the Asian Art Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Performances have ranged from temple-style rites and staged dance-theater productions that feature dancers trained in schools connected to choreographers from Sekar Jepun lineages to experimental cross-genre concerts with electronic artists and contemporary choreographers linked to institutions like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Education, Workshops, and Community Outreach

The ensemble runs workshops, classes, and outreach programs in partnership with universities such as San Francisco State University, community centers in Oakland, public schools in San Francisco Unified School District, and cultural organizations like the Balinese Gamelan Society. Educational activities include intensive workshops led by visiting Balinese masters, semester-long courses for ethnomusicology students, and youth programs modeled after community music initiatives in Berkeley and Los Angeles. These programs emphasize transmission of repertoire, dance training connected to Legong and Baris genres, and lecture-demonstrations for audiences at institutions including the California Academy of Sciences.

Recordings and Media

Discography and media projects document studio recordings, live concert releases, and audiovisual collaborations distributed through ethnographic labels and independent presses. Recordings have been used in academic research by scholars associated with Ethnomusicology programs at University of Washington, Cornell University, and Oxford University and feature liner notes by researchers who have worked with Indonesian archives such as those at the Kantor Arsip Negara Republik Indonesia. Audio-visual projects include documentary segments for public broadcasters and collaborations with filmmakers and choreographers tied to festivals like the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Jakarta International Arts Festival.

Notable Members and Leadership

The ensemble’s leadership has included American directors, Indonesian artistic directors, and visiting guru instructors drawn from prominent Balinese families and performance schools. Notable collaborators and teachers have included masters associated with lineages of I Wayan Dibia, I Ketut Rida, I Madé Subrata, and visiting artists from institutions such as the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Denpasar and the Sekolah Seni Indonesia. Board members and artistic advisors have come from arts organizations including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Cal Performances, and academic departments at University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University.

Category:Gamelan ensembles