Sinta Wullur and the Diatonic Gamelan (interview)

This interview with composer and performer Sinta Wullur explores the creation of her chromatic gamelan project in the Netherlands. Trained in classical piano and composition, Wullur blended her Indonesian heritage with Western traditions, leading to the premiere of her ensemble Multifoon in 1998. Built by Pak Suhirdjan in Yogyakarta, the instruments were tuned diatonically to allow collaboration with string quartets and other Western ensembles. Wullur discusses her artistic development, early training in piano and gender wayang, and her motivation to bridge Eastern and Western musical traditions. Her compositions, such as Mata Angin, reflect both cultural synthesis and political context, integrating gamelan with Western harmonic and rhythmic structures. The project sparked new possibilities for contemporary composition and inspired further collaborations, signaling an important moment in cross-cultural music history.