UTK Gamelan brings together UT students and Knoxville community members for a hands-on introduction to the gamelan musics of Bali, Indonesia. This unique experiential-learning program involves participation in a community modeled on cultural dimensions of its performance. We meet weekly during the Fall and Winter semesters for two back-to-back sessions with a snack break (4:30-5:45pm and 6:15-7:30pm) on Thursdays in room G25 of the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music. No background in music or prior experience playing gamelan is required. Regular weekly attendance and participation in one public event (open rehearsal, workshop, or performance) is required. Exceptions may be made for those unable to attend both sessions.

We play a seven-tone gamelan semar pegulingan with bronze-keyed metallophones, gongs, drums, and bamboo flutes that can support more than 20 players. Current accounts of Balinese music history suggest that ensembles like this developed during the 13th-16th centuries and remained important to court life throughout the 19th century. More recently, gamelan semar pegulingan’s unique tuning and instrumentation have inspired efforts to revive repertoire and create new compositions. This music now flourishes on the island of Bali and is learned by countless groups around the world. The gamelan semar pegulingan at UT includes a pair of five-tone gender rambat. This allows us to more faithfully adapt repertoire from the related gamelan pelegongan, which is associated with Bali’s spectacular legong dances and innovative instrumental compositions by the twentieth-century composer I Wayan Lotring.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jonathan Adams ([email protected]).

Schedule (Thursdays) : 

Session 1: 4:30 – 5:45pm

Break: 5:45 – 6:15pm

Session 2: 6:15 – 7:30pm

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