Geoffrey Banninger is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Golden, Colorado. He studied Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Composition at Metropolitan State University of Denver where he first discovered Gamelan. Having a background in percussion, he found Gamelan both very familiar and yet very foreign but grew to love music and the community. After playing with Metro’s Gamelan Manik Kusuma for a few years, and assisting with concerts at Colorado College, Geoffrey decided to deepen his connection to the music and the culture by joining Gamelan Tunas Mekar in 2023.

September 2022 found Liesl trekking into her first-ever GTM rehearsal. The trail that led her there was varied, with mile markers including two degrees in Music Education, several public and private teaching experiences throughout the front range, and most recently a stint in Thailand where she directed an international school’s music program. Moving back to Colorado, she reconnected with some friends whose paths diverged from hers after graduate school, and hearing that they were part of a Balinese Gamelan, asked if she could tag along. Receiving an enthusiastic “yes,” she’s never looked back.

Kendall Burks is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Denver, Colorado. He first discovered Balinese Gamelan in 2009 while studying at CU Boulder, where he graduated in 2012 with a degree in music composition. He joined Tunas Mekar in 2011, and his membership since then has been defined by the continual deepening and expansion of his interest and appreciation of the Balinese musical tradition. This culminated in 2018 with the creation of his composition, “Kayu Sakti” which draws heavily from traditional forms while expanding them into new territory as well. Outside of the gamelan, Kendall is active in the Denver music scene as a versatile collaborator and an adventurous recording artist and performer. He released his debut solo album, Waves, in September 2018, which can be found at his website: kendallburks.com.

Aaron has been practicing Balinese Music & Dance with Tunas Mekar since 2011, when he was first bitten by the wild bronze during his undergraduate studies in music composition at MSU Denver. When not playing gamelan, Aaron can be found designing & building music education software, improvising music with friends, and rollerblading. Aaron is currently exploring ways to combine Balinese Dance with Wizard Skating to discover new forms of human movement. Among other reasons, Aaron loves Balinese gamelan for its sense of community-oriented rhythm, deep grooves, and elaborate costumery. Aaron is a founder of the Denver-based performing arts collective Witches & Science, a member of exploratory ensembles Lé Secret & Pak Yeh, as well as an avid member of the Denver Urban Skate Troop. He loves wearing bright colors, hearing/creating experimental sound, and taking long skates on the beach (sometimes all at once).

Karen joined Tunas Mekar in 2012 with an interest in experiencing the rich musical and communal culture of gamelan. As an elementary school music teacher, Karen has the privilege of conveying the love of music to children. Karen served in the Peace Corps in Moldova and taught at an international school in Honduras. Today she is an active member of the Rocky Mountain Orff chapter of music educators and believes in the power of music education as a way of imparting respect and understanding for other cultures and traditions. With the help of Made Lasmawan, she recently acquired a Balinese gamelan orchestra for her school, and is excited about the possibilities and challenges of teaching gamelan to children. Karen stays busy by gardening, traveling the world in her kitchen, and raising two small children.

At the tender age of 16, Russ sold a pig to buy his first guitar. A Texas native transplanted to Colorado, Russ actively performs and teaches in the Denver metro area. Since earning his Master’s Degree, Russ has explored contemporary guitar music in his duo Derelict Hands with Scottish guitarist Calum Borthwick. In July 2016, Derelict Hands recorded their debut album after a tour of Scotland. In May 2017, Russ premiered his latest project with cellist Katie Burns, named Solazur, including the premiere of a large new work ‘Azur’ commissioned for the ensemble. The duo recently returned from a residency at the Zodiac Music Academy & Festival in Cote d’Azur, France. As a dynamic instructor Russ actively expands his teaching studio and currently teaches guitarists of all ages and skill levels, ranging from classical to pop music.

Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Ben has been performing traditional Thai music and dance with Colorado’s Thai community since 1999 and is a founding member of the Thai Harmony Traditional Arts Ensemble. After hearing Gamelan Tunas Mekar perform at the same festivals and local events as Thai Harmony for many years, Ben finally had the opportunity to join the gamelan in 2012 after studying with I Made Lasmawan at the University of Colorado at Boulder. A graduate of the Denver School of the Arts, Ben is currently pursuing a PhD in ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ben is an avid music listener and performer of many genres, and plays various traditional Thai instruments with the Thai Language and Culture School at Wat Buddhawararam. Ben also teaches courses on popular music and is a research assistant with the American Music Research Center.

Joe Engel holds three music degrees: cello performance (Bachelors and Masters), music theory and composition (bachelors). He has been studying cello and other music forms for over 14 years. He was introduced to gamelan in 2015 when he attended a Tunas Mekar concert at the University of Denver. At the urging of Professor Aaron Paige, he attended his first Tunas Mekar rehearsal in August of 2015 and was hooked. Joe is a music educator and performer, and, in addition to cello, has studied guitar, North and South Indian classical musics, Tuvan throatsinging, and other non-western disciplines. Joe feels privileged to be a member of Tunas Mekar, and is constantly inspired by the vibrant and explosive energy of the group.

Rhianna holds a degree in violin performance from the University of Denver. She became interested in gamelan while a student in Aaron Paige’s class and joined Gamelan Tunas Mekar shortly thereafter.

Jill holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Denver and has been performing as a professional jazz drummer for 40 years. She has been an active member of Gamelan Tunas Mekar since 1989 and has traveled to Bali multiple times to study with traditional teachers. Jill performed with Gamelan Tunas Mekar at the Bali Arts Festival in 1996 and 2019, when the group toured the island. She also studies and performs gamelan gender wayang and has a passion for gardening and garden design.

After growing up in Great Falls, MT, Jordan moved to Rochester, NY to study at the Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, Jordan completed a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance, a Bachelors of Music in Music Education, a Masters of Arts in Ethnomusicology, and also completed secondary studies in Vocal Performance and World Music. Jordan was fortunate to study violin with Prof. Lynn Blakeslee, voice with Dr. Louima Lilite and Professor Carol Webber, Ethnomusicology with Dr. Ellen Koskoff, and Balinese gamelan with I Nyoman Suadin.

Jordan moved to Denver, CO in 2012 to continue playing and studying Balinese music with master Balinese music teacher I Made Lasmawan. Jordan plays with Gamelan Tunas Mekar in Denver and Gamelan Chandra Wyoga in Larmie, WY. Jordan now lives in Laramie, WY, and teaches classes relating to World Music and Balinese music at the University of Wyoming. Jordan’s main job is running a business he founded that sells the chin rest for violin Jordan invented, called the Kreddle.

Chris is a percussionist, composer, social media artist and web developer. Born in Exeter, California, he quickly developed a taste for ripe oranges and avant garde jazz. After moving to Fort Collins to enroll in the prestigious Colorado State Percussion Studio, Chris found a home among several musical circles in Colorado’s Front Range. Chris has collaborated with the improvisational collective Le Secret, Gamelan Tunas Mekar, The Matt Smiley Quartet, Space Force, the Freshman Philosophy Majors, Trio Cribonis, the Nebula Ensemble, and chamber group Witches & Science. Chris’s playing and compositions are informed by the jazz tradition, bird sounds, contemporary Western art music, unsettling frequencies, and the music of Indonesia. Chris now spends his time convincing computers to do his bidding as a student of back end development at the Turing School in Denver, Colorado.

Liz began studying gamelan with Pak Lasmawan in 1996 while a student at Colorado College. She holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, where her research addressed the function of music tourism in the recovery and rebuilding of post-Katrina New Orleans and Bali after the 2002 and 2005 terrorist bombings. Her current research focuses on I Made Lasmawan, Ni Ketut Marni, and the music and dance traditions of their Balinese village, Bangah. In conjunction with Pak Lasmawan and Ibu Marni, she leads study abroad programs on the arts and culture of Bali on location in Indonesia at Sanggar Manik Galih. Liz joined Tunas Mekar in 2017 when she returned to Denver as Visiting Teaching Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. Currently an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at Metropolitan State University of Denver, she teaches courses on music and culture, oversees the university’s global music ensembles, and curates the department’s visiting artist series on Music, Race, & Social Justice. Liz’s dog Fritza can be seen with the rest of our beloved fuzzy members at the bottom of this page.

Adrianna was first introduced to Gamelan Tunas Mekar in 2019 at the Mercury Cafe. As soon as she heard the first melody, she immediately began noticing her body responding to the movement of the music. When Ni Ketut Marni came out and performed it was confirmed, dancing Balinese gamelan was something she wished to learn and study under Ketut if possible. She began this journey by joining the gamelan ensemble at MSU Denver, Gamelan Manik Kusuma, in spring of 2020. After years of being close to members and learning of gamelan music, dance, and culture on the side, she eagerly joined to begin her contributions to the community as dancer and musician. She believes there is invaluable healing within the connection of mind, body and spirit when it comes to the relationship of dance and music. She hopes to continue deepening this knowledge within the fruitful experiences Gamelan Tunas Mekar brings to life.

Photo from Helen Gover

Indi started studying Balinese dance with Ibu Ketut Marni after discovering Gamelan Tunas Mekar at an Indonesian festival in 2006. She is an active performer along the Front Range. She graduated from the University of Denver with two degrees: a Bachelors of Business Management and a Masters of Accountancy

Kristina has been a gamelan community member since she began playing in 1997 with Pak Made Lasmawan at Colorado College. She spent one year with Tunas Mekar in 2000 before playing with Gamelan Encantada in Albuquerque from 2002 to 2005, Gamelan Burat Wangi in Los Angeles with Pak I Nyoman Wenten from 2008 to 2020, and Gamelan Pandan Arum in Los Angeles with Tyler Yamin from 2013 to 2016. She rejoined Tunas Mekar upon relocating home to Colorado in January 2021. Kristina is a trained counselor and works as a graduate program manager at CUBoulder. When not raising teenagers and going to gamelan rehearsal, she loves cross-country skiing, hiking, and waxing poetic about the changing seasons.

Laricca is a dancer that dances around

Photo from Helen Gover

Ashley graduated from MSU Denver with a bachelor's of music, majoring in music composition and piano performance, and minoring in computer science and sustainability studies. She specializes in writing music for games, blending her love of music and technology by programming the game and writing the soundtrack herself. Through MSU, she was introduced to Gamelan Tunas Mekar, and could not be more proud to be part of the rich, loving community, learning the beautiful and complex traditions of Balinese music & dance.

One day Elle awoke and journeyed forth on a walk. She walked and walked and walked. She trekked through tall concrete structures upon ground that was built on top of the earth-given ground, because somehow the natural ground couldn't keep up. Feeling suffocated, stifled, and alienated from herself and the world around her, she didn't know where to turn. She walked far enough to come upon the edge of a mossy forest. The ferns beckoned and the birds invited her in. She stepped over the threshold and just as the concrete jungle of her past disappeared, so arose Tunas Mekar from the mossy, misty depths. A beautiful flower cultivated by each little wayward seedling, all of whom found their way to the same moment in the same place. Backstage at Elle's first performance with the group, long-time member and incredible foothold of the group Jill Fredricksen said to her 'it feels like you've always been here', and even in that moment when Elle felt so tentative and careful, she felt home.

Jakey Wherry joined Gamelan Tunas Mekar in 2015. He currently performs with his improvisational chamber group Moon Atomizer, as well as many musicians in the Denver area. He is a good baby and everybody loves him.

Aaron Grossberg

Aaron Paige

Aaron Thomas Reedy

Adrienne Kerr

AJ Salimbeni

Alana Eve Burman

Aleanna Collins

Andrea Tracey

Andy Fairchild

Andy Schauf

Anne Snyder

Angela Blakely

Asia Seltzer

Bob Bellerue

Brent Wollman

Brian Arnold

Carolyn Oakley

Chappell Kingsland

Charles Hansen

Chase Hildebrandt

Chris Romaine

Christopher Rippey

Connor Rice

Dane Terry

Daniel Feely

Daniel Nuñez

David Ortolano

David Woodward

Dennis Hansen

Era Colahan

Eric 'Moon' Jacobson

Eric Treat

Felicia Behm

Frankie Anderson

Glen Nitta

Grace Clark

Greg Simon

Greg Wildermuth

Holger Vömel

Ian Rowen

Jack Inslee

Jay Keister

Jeffrey Wrightson

Jim Wills

John Cheney

John Raabe

John Weissenrieder

Jon Ellison

Joice Gibson

Josh Kaufman

Julia Drakh

Kathy Corte'

Katy Wherry

Kim Funk Payetta

Kristin Taavola

Kristina Schauer

Laura Lockwood

Lauren Mola

Lia Pileggi

Luke Mecklenburg

Marissa Tiroly

Mark Fuller

Mark Harris

Mark McCoin

Merisa Bissinger

Meta Ellison

Michael Cacioppo

Michael Fitts

Michael Stanwood

Mike Swank

Miranda Fan

Nathan Wheeler

Parker Trevathan

Ravi Donepudi

Rebecca Dengler Kaufman

Rita P. Jones

Robin Romaine

Rory Cowal

Sarah Deacy

Sayo Yamaguchi

Sean Kwo

Sean Williams

Shawn Keener

Spencer Hauck

Steve Hammond

Steven Smith Golovnin

Tom Allen

Tony Johnston

Valerie Terry

Victoria Zero

Woody Colahan

Zach Bellows

Zim Sherman