Gamelan Yowana Sari Brings the Brilliant Bursts of Metal

Gamelan Yowana Sari is a Balinese art ensemble in residence at the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College made up of students, alumni, faculty, and community patrons – all guided by GYS founder Michael Lipsey and co-directors Fred Trumpy and Ruka Shironishi. This contemporary group of percussionist ringers (ahem) are “fostering the creation of new works for gamelan”, and are “deeply committed to the transmission of Balinese culture through traditional music” (Bandcamp). GYS recently traveled to Bali to record some of these new works - some for gamelan and electric guitars- for their self-titled debut album, (which is out now on Cantaloupe Music.) Recently, they traveled from Queens and elsewhere with their heavy metal arsenal of traditional metallophones and gongs; 7- and 8- string guitars; and a hi-hat turtle to play (and count in cycles of fives and sevens) in the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. Bonus - there's also a tour of the instruments! (- Caryn Havlik) 1. Stones Are the Flowers (Kyle Miller) 2. Guirlandes, mvt 1 (Theo Merigeau) 3. aERIFORm kiTE (Evan Ziporyn)

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Gamelan Yowana Sari Brings the Brilliant Bursts of Metal is an episode from Soundcheck by WNYC Studios.

This episode is 00:53:37 long.

This episode was published on May 7, 2026.

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