Keep Playing. Go Deeper. Join the Ensemble!
Finished our free beginner class - or have musical experience you're ready to put to work? Consider diving deeper into gamelan by joining our Balinese gamelan community ensemble! The community group is where the Journey continues, with long term students learning more skills and eventually preparing to join us in performances around Buffalo. It is one of the most fun, rewarding, and meaningful ways to stay involved with gamelan and Nusantara Arts over the long term. There is a place in the community gamelan for people of all skill levels.
What You'll Do
Learn a variety of Balinese gamelan compositions on our rare Semar Pegulingan 7 tone instruments, develop your skills across multiple instrument types, and rehearse together as a real ensemble. Sessions are led in a traditional Balinese community style - collaborative, immersive, and grounded in the music itself.
Perform (if you want to). Community Gamelan is the pathway to performing with Nusantara Arts. We play many events across Buffalo and Western New York each year - at festivals, cultural venues, and alongside incredible guest artists from Indonesia. Performers are sometimes compensated for gigs, which can help offset class fees. Performing is optional, but it's one of the most rewarding parts of being in the group.
You do not need to feel fully “ready” before joining, many students take our six-week course and choose to join the community group right after! Many people begin where you might be now - with curiosity, a little bit of experience, and a desire to keep learning.
We would love to have you on this journey with us!
FAQ’s:
Is there a fee?
While the intro classes have been made completely free by the generous donations of our supporters for 2026, the community gamelan class operations do necessitate the support of participants with a class fee donation for it to all work. We use a sliding scale so that cost is never a barrier to participation. Choose the level that fits your situation - no questions asked. We want people to be here who want to be and if you can contribute that's great, if not that's ok too. Many participants choose the quarterly recurring or monthly recurring options for ease and you can change your amount at any time.
Do I have to perform?
No, performing is optional. Not all people who participate in community gamelan perform, it's your choice! Community gamelan is the gateway to performing with our performance troupe. Nusantara Arts performs many small and medium sized performances a year in Western New York, and even further! It's really fun being involved in ensemble music making, and practicing for performances at interesting venues and often items with incredible guest artists. There is occasionally payment for performing.
Can I join if I don’t have any experience playing music?
We recommend that those with no experience first take our free six-week introductory course. They’re completely beginner friendly and allow you to dip your toes into gamelan before jumping in!
When do you meet?
Group Rehearsal Every Sunday from 3pm-5:30pm
Secondary rehearsal and individual practice time available Tuesday 7-9pm
Bi-Monthly rehearsals with our guest artist Gusti Komin are generally required for participants: Sundays 2-6pm
There may be additional practices scheduled in the lead up to larger performances
About Our Guest Artistic Director
Gusti Komin is one of the finest Balinese musicians and teachers of his generation. Originally from the village of Pengosekan, Bali, Komin splits his time between teaching at MIT and Dharma Swara in New York, and working with our ensemble here in Buffalo through support from the Cullen Foundation. His bi-monthly residency sessions are a rare opportunity to study directly with a master artist.