Gamelan Cenik Wayah, Children Gamelan Group in Ubud

This children gamelan was founded in 2000 by I Wayan Sudirana, under a big support from Cokorda Ngurah Suyadnya, the prince of the royal family of Ubud.
The member of this group was gathered from the "banjar", community village, of the village of Ubud. Because the basic idea in forming this group is to teach and build a strong cultural foundation among young generations, especially in Ubud area, through music and dance.

This group was in the victory on the Gong Kebyar Competition at the Bali Arts Festival 2005, where they were representing Gianyar regency. They were the first group who swept all of the gold medal for all of the pieces that was contested in Gong Kebyar Competition.

Nowadays, they are keeping their regular weekly performances in the Ubud Water Palace open stage, right behind cafe Lotus. This regular performance is just keeping them together as a group, because even though they also have a regular rehearsal, once a week, the idea of having a regular performance is to keep their "taksu" or spirit, individually or as a group.

In 2006, a Canadian composer, Colin MacDonald was composing a new piece for this group. The piece is called "Canang Sari" (offerings). It was performed with gamelan Cudamani, Sekar jaya, Gita Asmara and Michael Tenzer at the Bali Arts Festival.

In 2007, there was two talented American musicians and composers of Balinese music worked with this group as well. Both, Peter Michael Steele and Paddy Sandino, are a gamelan lover and studied with Michael Tenzer at UBC. They was composing new pieces of music for gamelan that was inspired by the unique marriage of both, Western and Balinese culture. Those world premiere pieces was performed in Ubud area, and at The Bali Arts Festival, together with other new compositions that was composed by other composers, and was also involving some members of Balinese gamelan group in abroad, i.e. Gita Asmara Canada, Sekar jaya America, and Lila Cita London, Sekar Jepun Japan, and one dancer from France.

One month later, Ethnomusicologist and Assistant Professor at Richmond University, Andy McGraw was arranging a cartoon piece, which is called "power house", into gamelan. He was teaching it to Gamelan Cenik Wayah in August 2007.

Soon, we will release CDs of both project!!!!
Paddy and Pete's CD project content:
1. Kreasi Pepanggulan Check This Out, by Paddy
Sandino
2. Tabuh Kreasi Cihna Wadwa
by. I Wayan Sudirana and Ida bagus Made
Widnyana
3. Tabuh Kreasi Brace Your Self Wayan
by, Pete Steele
4. Tari Kreasi Nyamar
by. I Wayan Sudirana
5. Kreasi 4 5
New music that is combining two different gamelan that has different tuning system
by. I Wayan Sudirana

Thank you very much for your attention.