Gamelan refers to large ensembles of mostly bronze percussion instruments, and to the most prominent traditional music from Indonesia. Gamelan’s presence at Cornell offers a window into a truly majestic musical form as well as an entry to the study of the fourth most populous nation in the world.

The Cornell Gamelan Ensemble rehearses weekly, with students taking the course for credit joined by community members, and gives regular public performances. We play on a set of instruments from Central Java. Practical instruction is also offered as part of a 3-credit course covering the full range of music in Indonesia.

A Concert of Balinese and Javanese Gamelan

Saturday, October 11, 7pm
Lincoln Hall B20

A rare opportunity to hear a less common form of Balinese gamelan in Ithaca.

Nusantara Arts, a vibrant organization based in Buffalo, is bringing their Semar Pegulingan instruments to Cornell for a joint concert with the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble. This short concert is part of a four-day symposium on “Music Theories, Histories, Analysis, and the Musical Cultures of Asia,” put on by Analytical Approaches to World Music. The concert will be especially interesting to those curious about some of the technical intricacies of gamelan. There will be a focus on the ins and outs of the seven-tone pélog tuning system. Nusantara Arts will be led by their teacher, Gusti Komin, who has taught them one of his new compositions. Both groups will be joined by a number of symposium presenters.

All of the concerts in this symposium are free and open to the public. Ithaca residents can also register for free to attend symposium panels; choose “Unemployed; Underemployed; In-need” on the registration page.

Coming up

Cornell Gamelan Ensemble in Concert

with special guest

Peni Candra Rini

in honor of

Marty Hatch (1941–2025)

Thursday, December 11, 3pm

Lincoln Hall B20

Peni Candra Rini is one of the leading exponents of traditional Javanese singing, with a truly exquisite voice—a “force of nature” as our mutual friend Andy McGraw describes it. She’s also an innovative composer, which has taken her to stages around the world. Among other collaborations, she has written several commissioned pieces for the renowned Kronos Quartet. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear her right here in Ithaca.

The concert will be held in honor of the founder of the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble, Marty Hatch, who passed away on August 23, 2025. He will be sorely missed. His obituary is available here.