I Wayan Sadra

I Wayan Sadra Gedung Kesenian Jakarta Sept. 12 and 13, 2004

Organized disobedience as creative energy

Disobedience is a negative aspect of human behavior. However, for I Wayan Sadra, his life's journey has led him to incorporate disobedience as a form of creative energy for both life and his music compositions.

Sadra is a farmer's son and a grandson of Undagi (an architect) born Aug. 1, 1953, in Banjar Kaliungu Kaja, Denpasar.

He studied the arts at Bali's Karawitan (gamelan) conservatorium, then continued at the Indonesian Karawitan Art Academy, Surakarta, gaining a bachelor's degree in Karawitan.

As a composer, he began his career in 1976, working initially with children's music and dance, and in theater and concert. Suka Hardjana, a musician, critic and composer, then gave him a chance to perform as a youth composer at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta.

Some of his pieces were recorded by the Broadcasting Music Incorporation (BMI), American Gamelan Institute (AGI)., Frog Peak Composer Collective, U.S. and Storm Production, Paris. Suita 42 Hari and Autis 4 J, his two most recent albums, were recorded with the Sonoseni Ensemble.

This is a group of composers whose members are varied musically -- Javanese and Balinese gamelan instrumentalists, a Javanese gamelan singer, a keroncong musician, Madurese regional pop musicians and a Buginese/ex-rock singer -- and offer wide cultural diversity.

The Sonoseni Ensemble has collaborated with overseas musicians from Japan, the UK and the U.S. It has also performed in small towns and villages across Indonesia, as well as in large cities such as Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, Bandung and Jakarta.