The University of Hawaii Gamelan Ensemble consists of students and community members who share a special appreciation for playing gamelan. The gamelan proper -- the instruments -- belong to the University of Hawaii. Most of the members begin as students in the regularly scheduled music department class, and after a semester or two feel the urge to go beyond the limited beginners' repertoire. Some of the members are ethnomusicology majors, some are students of western music, but quite a few come to us from fields as diverse as anthropology, library science and business management. Some of the members have been with the group since its beginning in 1970.

The ensemble began with a beautiful and very complete gamelan from Yogyakarta. More recently a complete Balinese gong kebyar was added. Both gamelan are housed in a special room in the Barbara Smith wing of the Music Department at U.H. Manoa.