Wayne Vitale is a composer and educator who has long been inspired by the music of Bali, Indonesia. He has studied and collaborated with many of Bali’s finest musicians and ensembles, extensively documenting their work, and leading myriad projects bringing them together with diverse artists and audiences. His particular interests focus on the intersection of the two cultural streams that have shaped his life as a composer—Balinese music (in its multitude forms) and new music created in the US, especially music that has a direct or indirect historical relationship with gamelan. His response has been expressed in works spanning a stylistic range from traditional to experimental/multimedia. Several have been performed by noted gamelan orchestras in Bali, including the renowned village ensemble Abdi Budaya (“Servants of Culture”) in Banjar Anyar, Perean. He is a founding member and composer in the Lightbulb Ensemble, a group of twelve percussionists working at the interface of Balinese and Western music traditions and innovations. He is also a founding member and past director (1992 – 2009) of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, an ensemble of sixty musicians and dancers with an unparalleled international reputation for its cross-cultural programs. His recording label, Vital Records, releases high-quality recordings of new and traditional Balinese music. He has also devoted himself to the metallic art of gamelan tuning and restoration, grinding and filing his way throughout the US and Europe to restore Balinese instruments. His work has been supported by the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Creative Work Fund (a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund), the Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals, the Gerbode-Hewlett Music Commissioning Award (for Mikrokosma), the National Endowment for the Arts, and other funders.
