Gamelan is a traditional music ensemble from Indonesia made up of various percussion instruments. In Australia, gamelan has also caught the interest of musicians who aren't from the Indonesian diaspora.
For Stephens, who comes from a Western classical music background, gamelan offers a completely different experience.
“I really enjoy the community aspect that we can have with gamelan, where you can have master players next to complete beginners and the whole ensemble works. Whereas with classical music, you could never have that––it would be, you have to spend years and years and years learning your instrument to even be in that kind of realm,” Stephens said. “Whereas with gamelan, you can just jump in and, and join.”
Stephens, a member of Gamelan DanAnda, has performed regularly at various events––including music concerts, Balinese community religious ceremonies, and music festivals around Australia.
As a musician who's mastered two very different musical traditions, Stephens is now having a go at exploring possible collaborations between saxophone and gamelan.
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