Connections & Opportunities

Gamelan Gong Kebyar, Tingklik, Gender Wayang.

Led by: Sigrid and Martin Winter.

The Gamelan Anggur Jaya was founded in 1982 by Prof. Dieter Mack. The name Anggur Jaya roughly means "excellent wine" and was devised during a wine-fuelled naming ceremony, with the aim of establishing a regional connection. Since 1998, Anggur Jaya has been a non-profit association. Its members include professional musicians as well as amateur musicians with a passion for gamelan. The ensemble regularly collaborates with gamelan groups in Munich and Basel, as well as with dancers from Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

Central Javanese Gamelan

Coordinated By: Antonia Soriente

Established in 2024 following a prestigious donation from the Indonesian state company Pertamina, the ensemble was introduced as a prominent laboratory within the Department of Asia, Africa, and Mediterranean Studies at the University of Naples L'Orientale. Boasting a set of 40 pieces, it stands as the most complete ensemble of its kind in Italy. The coordinator Antonia Soriente, professor of Indonesian language and literature, organizes annual training workshops curated by the ethnomusicologist Daniele Zappatore and implemented by collaborations with prominent visiting artists from Indonesian universities and art centers. This dynamic academic platform regularly organizes high-profile cultural events and maintains strong local and global institutional partnerships, frequently performing in synergy with ISMEO (Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient) and the historic San Pietro a Majella Conservatory of Music.

Nanterre, France

Javanese Gamelan

Led by: Christophe Moure (2011–present)

The Genthasari group is a gamelan ensemble specialising in the Javanese style, consisting of around twenty musicians. The ensemble was founded at the University of Nanterre (Paris X). The group's founding members studied this music through the gamelan workshops offered by the Cité de la Musique in Paris, and subsequently further developed their skills in Java under the guidance of renowned musicians from the Javanese musical tradition, including Sri Joko Raharjo, Joko Susilo, Wahyu Santosa Prabowo, and Rahayu Supanggah.

Genthasari offers performances combining different artistic disciplines, including dance, shadow theatre, and instrumental concert performances.

The ensemble has performed at a number of prestigious venues and festivals, including the Philharmonie de Paris (2018), the Musée Guimet (2013), the Théâtre du Châtelet (2013), the Centre Mandapa (2013), and the Chinon Festival (2012, 2014).

Gamelan Gong Kebyar

Led by: Enrico Masseroli

The group was formed in 2010 in Bergamo as part of the international ensemble The Pirate Ship (originally founded in Austria in 1987 and dedicated to wandering street theater until 2013).

"Cenik" means "small" and was also the name (Ni Ketut Cenik) of the famous dancer and mother of Maestro I Made Djimat, with whom Enrico Masseroli has studied since January 1979.

Over the years, various musicians have performed with the group. Among them is actor and dancer Dario De Falco, who, like Masseroli, has visited Bali.

In recent years, the group's repertoire has focused primarily on providing musical accompaniment for complete Topeng performances, while also including Baris, Jauk, Balaganjur, and a selection of instrumental pieces.

The group has performed mainly in Bergamo and throughout Lombardy, as well as in Rome, Naples, Bologna, and other parts of Italy.

Gamelan Gong Kebyar

Led by: Daniele Zappatore

Arrived at the Indonesian Embassy in Rome in the early 1970s, the ensemble - crafted in Gianyar, Bali, and originally known as gamelan Puspa Sari - was led by Giovanni Giuriati together with the Balinese maestro I Wayan Puspayadi until the late 80's. After that period, the orchestra fell into disuse for about twenty years. In 2025, the ensemble was entrusted to Rumah budaya Indonesia – Roma ETS (RBIR), where the instruments have been re-tuned in collaboration with Théo Mérigeau and Krishna Sutedja. Additionally, all damaged parts have been replaced with new instruments specially made in Mengwi and Tabanan, Bali. Since then, RBIR has been organizing weekly workshops, welcoming professional musicians, university students, and - on occasion - hosting guest artists from Europe and Indonesia. In addition to the Gong Kebyar, the association also has other Indonesian ensembles, including a galeman calung from Banyumas (Central Java) and a gamelan degung from Sunda (West Java).

Central Javanese Gamelan

Led by: Ilaria Meloni

Founded in the 1990s by Giovanni Giuriati, Professor of Ethnomusicology at Sapienza University of Rome, Gong Wisnu Wara was created as a musical laboratory connected to the Musicology of Asian Countries course. Over the years, the ensemble has brought together students, researchers, and lecturers, while hosting Indonesian masters and musicians in residence at the Embassy of Indonesia to the Holy See, where the instruments are kept and classes are organized. The enduring collaboration between these institutions has been carried forward by new generations of researchers, combining academic study with the practice and dissemination of Indonesian musical traditions in Italy. The ensemble's recent highlights include collaborations with the French group Pantcha Indra, performances at the FAO World Food Forum, and a wayang wahyu shadow theatre project. The group has showcased its repertoire at major cultural venues across Italy (Turin, Venice, Rome, Palermo).

Gamelan Gong Kebyar

Led by: Hsiao-Yun Tseng and Théo Mérigeau

Gamelan Puspawarna is a twenty-member ensemble based in Nanterre, specializing in Balinese gamelan music. Founded in 2011 by Hsiao-Yun Tseng, Jérémie Abt, and Théo Mérigeau, the group has since developed its repertoire through collaborations with Balinese musicians such as I Made Agus Wardana, I Nyoman Kader Kariasa, and Anak Agung Bagus Gedé Krishna Putra Sutedja.

The Puspawarna gamelan ensemble has developed a close collaboration with dancer Kadek Puspasari and actors Tapa Sudana, Mas Soegeng, and Ketut Sariana. This collaboration has resulted in numerous performances combining dance, music, and theatre, including Panji Kuda Narawangsa (2017) and Calonarang (2019). Since 2017, Puspawarna has regularly collaborated with Balinese composer A.A.B.G. Krishna Sutedja and has created several of his works specially written for the ensemble, including Roi Soleil (2018) and Narasimha (2019).

Puspawarna has performed at a number of venues and festivals, including the Festiv'Alligre festival in Paris (2013), the Étonnants Voyageurs festival in Saint-Malo (2013), the Gennevilliers Conservatory (2014), the Guimet Museum (2018), the Théâtre de l'Échangeur in Bagnolet (2019), and the Radio France Auditorium (2020).

The ensemble aims to develop and promote in France this rich and distinctive art form that is Balinese gamelan, bringing it to the widest possible audience.

Gamelan Gong Kebyar

Led by: Alexandra Alt

This group has grown since late 2023 to an almost 20-member ensemble with weekly rehearsals and regular performances. It is located in the Rumah Budaya Indonesia, which is part of the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin. The repertoire consists of traditional Gong Kebyar compositions from Bali, both instrumental pieces and music accompanying dance.

Gamelan Gong Kebyar.

Led by: Sara Andreacchio; Sigrid Winter.

Active since 1985, the ensemble offers regular courses for children and teenagers, as well as adults at the Musik-Akademie Basel. Alongside contemporary works by Balinese and Western composers, the ensemble primarily performs Gong Kebyar and Semar Pegulingan music from Bali, both instrumental pieces and music accompanying dance. It regularly collaborates with Gamelan groups in Munich and Freiburg, as well as with dancers from Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

More information: Children & Teens Course · Adults Course