Gamelan at Eastman, as in Bali, is communal effort. Our members include Eastman students, faculty, staff, as well as many members of the Rochester community. Learned through the oral/aural tradition without notation, the music requires players to work together for long periods of time to learn the music and how to play it. Each gamelan cultivates its own style and expressive nuance within the rich tradition of the music. The result is a sense of group unity and pride as the audience hears the music and witnesses the collective efforts of the group.

Founded in 1993, Eastman's Gamelan group, Lila Muni (Heavenly Sound), has been privileged to learn music from two very different Balinese gamelan ensembles: the ancient four-tone gamelan angklung, which, in Bali plays music for rituals and ceremonies, and more recently the five-tone gamelan gong kebyar, a newer ensemble associated with Indonesian independent, and youthful exuberance.