Friends of the Gamelan

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Friends of the Gamelan

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A community group dedicated to the performance, instruction and promotion of Balinese and central Javanese gamelan

09/16/2026

🍂 Fall is going to be a busy one for FROG!

Save these dates and come hear our Javanese ensemble around Chicago this fall:

🥟 Sept. 19 • World Dumpling Festival
🎶 Oct. 3 • Javanese Ensemble at DePaul University
🌏 Nov. 7 • GaanMela Fest at United Church of Rogers Park
🎭 Dec. 13 • Wayang at Epiphany Center for the Arts

And we’re especially excited about the Wayang: for the first time in more than a decade, FROG will bring shadow puppetry back to Chicago! ✨

Visit www.chicagogamelan.org for details. More coming soon! We hope to see you this fall! ❤️

08/27/2026

We're still smiling about this beautiful afternoon at Ping Tom Memorial Park. ❤️

🎶 Four musical traditions
🌏 One shared space
💛 So many connections

FROG was proud to present "Many Voices, One Heart" as part of Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks on Aug. 22, bringing together our Balinese Ensemble, the Cambodian Traditional Music Ensemble of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum, Kokyō Taiko Chicago, and Crossing Borders Music.

Creating these kinds of connections is a big part of what FROG is all about: sharing Indonesian performing arts with Chicago and creating opportunities for cross-cultural understanding.

Enjoy these snaps of some favorite moments from the day! 📸

And if you want to help us keep the music going, join us for Gamelan “Fam”elan on Sept. 13 at the Morgan Arts Complex. Come hang with the FROG community, celebrate what we do, and support what’s ahead! 💛 https://givebutter.com/c/gamelan-famelan

📸 Photos by Ivan Indrautama

08/12/2026

Coming up next week: “Many Voices, One Heart”

On Saturday, Aug. 22, the Balinese Ensemble is heading to Ping Tom Park in Chinatown for a free, family-friendly afternoon of music and cross-cultural exchange as part of the Chicago Park District Night Out in the Parks series.

Led by FROG, the program brings together Indonesian gamelan, the Cambodian Traditional Music Ensemble of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum, Japanese taiko drumming by Kokyō Taiko Chicago, and a performance by Crossing Borders Music. Each group will share music from its own tradition, with brief introductions offering more about the instruments and cultures behind the music.

Creating opportunities for people to experience Indonesian music and connect across cultures is a big part of why FROG exists. Through accessible performances and community partnerships, we introduce audiences to traditions they might not otherwise encounter while building curiosity and appreciation for cultures beyond their own.

📍 Ping Tom Memorial Park
300 W 19th St., Chicago
📅 Saturday, Aug. 22
⏰ 2–4 p.m.

Come enjoy an afternoon of music, community, and cultural exchange in the park!

07/26/2026

☀️ Spend an afternoon with FROG this August!

One of our favorite parts of summer is bringing gamelan beyond the rehearsal studio and into the community. This August, you'll have two opportunities to hear live performances from FROG's Balinese and Javanese ensembles at outdoor events across the Chicago area.

🌿 Destination Asia Festival at the Morton Arboretum
📅 Sunday, August 2
🕐 1 p.m. – Javanese Ensemble
🕑 2 p.m. – Balinese Ensemble
📍 Morton Arboretum, 4100 IL-53, Lisle, IL

Celebrate the cultures and traditions of Asia with live music and dance, delicious food, the annual Bonsai Show, and family-friendly activities throughout the day.

🎟️ Included with Arboretum admission. Info: https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/events/destination-asia-festival/

🎶 Night Out in the Parks: Many Voices, One Heart
📅 Saturday August 22 | 2–4 p.m.
📍 Ping Tom Memorial Park, 300 W. 19th St. (beneath the 18th Street Bridge), Chicago

Experience a vibrant afternoon of music featuring FROG's Balinese Ensemble alongside the Cambodian Traditional Music Ensemble of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum, Kokyō Taiko Chicago, and Crossing Borders Music, culminating in a collaborative finale celebrating Chicago's rich Asian performing arts communities.

🎟️ Free and open to the public.

We hope to see you at one—or even both—of these August performances!

06/25/2026

A little Thunder & Tranquility photo dump, because these shots are just too good. 📷

We loved sharing the music and dance of Bali with both familiar faces and first-time audience members. Every concert is a chance to connect, learn from one another, and celebrate the traditions that inspire our ensemble.

We've still got plenty of summer ahead of us, including more chances to hear FROG perform. Watch this space for upcoming dates—we can't wait to see you at the next one!

Photos by Ivan Indrautama

06/02/2026

One of the highlights of Sunday's concert is "Chill It On Down," a new piece by Ross Lafleur. Here's a sneak peek from rehearsal.

The piece begins with a simple rhythmic figure played by the gangsas. In contrast to the fast, interlocking melodies typical of the traditional gong kebyar style, this pattern is played on a single note, focusing attention squarely on the combined rhythm and the sharp attack of the instrument. This rhythm is then woven throughout four sections of varying tempos and styles, delineated by an insistent bam! bam! played by the whole ensemble, as well as a virtuosic cascade across the gangsas. It’s kind of a lot—hence the title, a silly way of saying, “you need to relax.”

Experience the premiere live with FROG's Balinese Ensemble this Sunday at Epiphany Center for the Arts.

Tickets: https://epiphanychi.com/events/thunder-and-tranquility-a-gamelan-journey/

05/28/2026

Meet Jauk Manis 👀

In this video, dancer Lydia Martín shares more about the masked character they’ll perform with FROG’s Balinese Ensemble on June 7 at Thunder and Tranquility: A Gamelan Journey.

Lydia talks about their training in Balinese masked dance, the meaning behind the character, and what makes Jauk Manis such a compelling presence on stage — sweet, mischievous, and full of personality.

See the dance live at Epiphany Center for the Arts on June 7.

Tickets: https://epiphanychi.com/events/thunder-and-tranquility-a-gamelan-journey/

05/19/2026

Tranquility collides with explosive rhythm in this rehearsal clip from Jauk Manis, capturing the essence of “Thunder and Tranquility: A Gamelan Journey”, the annual concert of FROG’s Balinese Ensemble on June 7 at Epiphany Center for the Arts.

In Balinese culture, contrast is not conflict. Intensity and calm exist side by side, creating balance through sound, movement, and community. At FROG, performances like this are about more than a concert. They create opportunities for Chicago audiences to experience the rich performing arts traditions of Indonesia, often for the very first time, while bringing people together through a deeply collaborative art form.

Join us on June 7 and experience it live.

🎟️ Tickets: https://dice.fm/event/6dkbn8-thunder-and-tranquility-a-gamelan-journey-7th-jun-epiphany-center-for-the-arts-courtyard-chicago-tickets

05/12/2026

"Thunder and Tranquility: A Gamelan Journey" is coming June 7 ⚡️

The Balinese Ensemble's annual concert invites audiences to engage with a distinctly Balinese worldview that embraces contrast not as conflict, but as essential balance. In Balinese Hindu tradition, opposing forces (similar to concepts like "good" and "evil") are not mutually exclusive. They are interdependent and coexist in dynamic equilibrium. Rather than striving to eliminate darkness, the focus is on sustaining harmony among all elements.

This philosophy comes vividly to life through music and movement in the program, which shifts between intensity and serenity. Highlights include the electrifying masked dance "Jauk Manis", the delicate, shimmering textures of gamelan angklung, and the premiere of "Chill It On Down" by Ross Lafleur, along with additional works.

Join the Balinese Ensemble for an afternoon where thunder and tranquility are not opposites, but partners in balance.

Guests of all ages are welcome.

📅 Sunday, June 7, 2026, 3:00 PM
📍Epiphany Center for the Arts, Courtyard Garden, 201 S. Ashland Ave, Chicago
🔗 https://epiphanychi.com/events/thunder-and-tranquility-a-gamelan-journey/

04/01/2026

Join FROG’s Javanese Ensemble for a special performance at Glow Wild ✨

On April 10, experience the rich sounds of Indonesian gamelan at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, set among more than 70 larger-than-life illuminated animals and artistic lantern displays throughout the park.

Performances will take place at 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 PM at the Hub of Hope.

Glow Wild is a special after-hours event and requires a separate ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

📍 Brookfield Zoo
8400 31st St
Brookfield, IL 60513

Learn more and plan your visit: https://bit.ly/404kzzR

Address

3622 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL
60609

Website

http://www.chicagogamelan.org/

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