Field Notes: Gamelan in the Park

Join us for an afternoon of traditional and contemporary gamelan music, taking place in Hadden Park under a canopy of trees. Bring a blanket and a friend to enjoy the vibrant sounds of the gamelan, featuring performances by Gamelan Bike Bike, Trike Trike, and Kembang Telang. The event begins at 3:00pm with a group Kecak workshop led by Ryan Swaryandana, followed by performances by each group. 

FREE | 3:00 – 5:00pm

Hadden Park (1015 Maple St)

Presented by Publik Secrets

About the Artists

Gamelan Bike Bike draws its musical inspiration from Bali, Indonesia and its raw materials from the scrap metal bins of Vancouver. Since forming in 2012, the group has built unconventional instruments as a means to spark creativity, foster community, and generate new forms of contemporary gamelan. The ensemble is dedicated to performing new music, including compositions from guest composers I Putu Gede Sukaryana (Balot) and I Putu Swaryandana Ichi Oka from Bali. Their recent album Teka-Teki (2024), released by Indonesia-based label Insitu Recordings, is a series of intricate, puzzle-like works bridging sonic imaginaries between Bali and Vancouver.

“Gamelan Bike Bike has proved to be a fertile environment for cross-cultural artistic innovation, presenting Indonesian music from a uniquely Vancouver perspective” (Jakarta Post)

Gamelan Trike Trike is formed from annual introductory gamelan workshops open to the community. Each year, workshop participants rehearse and perform a selection of traditional music, culminating in a performance that celebrates the process of learning and collaboration through the vibrant, collective sounds of gamelan. 

Gamelan Kembang Telang performs traditional and contemporary Balinese gamelan music. The group’s small ensemble format showcases some of the most compact and innovative forms of gamelan; music that reveals beautiful and complex patterns that fit together like an intricate musical jigsaw puzzle. Contemporary works by Ryan Swaryandana and I Made Subandi showcase bold new directions in techniques and styles. The ensemble’s name refers to the blossoming of the blue telang flower, a vibrant and medicinal plant which adorned the gamelan studio of I Made Subandi, the group’s late mentor.