Expat Community Gamelan Groups

There are a number of opportunities for expatriates to study traditional gamelan instruments and play in various groups. The group that we hear the most about in Jakarta is:

Pagoyuban Retno Budaya is an informal beginners group open to all, with or without prior gamelan or other musical background. It meets on Wednesday evenings in Kebayoran Baru. The group meets at 7:00pm, has a light Indonesian dinner and chat and plays until 9:00pm. Members are expatriate and Indonesian. The suggested donation to help pay the instructor is Rp 100,000 per month. The teacher is Pak Parno from Sragen. For beginners who wish to progress to a somewhat more serious level, this group serves as a feeder to more advanced studies under the direction of Bapak Wakidi Dwidjomartono, a highly respected musician from Solo. For more information, contact jakartagamelan@gmail.com. Learn more about this group.

Updated December 30, 2022