September 2022 found Liesl trekking into her first-ever GTM rehearsal. The trail that led her there was varied, with mile markers including two degrees in Music Education, several public and private teaching experiences throughout the front range, and most recently a stint in Thailand where she directed an international school’s music program. Moving back to Colorado, she reconnected with some friends whose paths diverged from hers after graduate school, and hearing that they were part of a Balinese Gamelan, asked if she could tag along. Receiving an enthusiastic “yes,” she’s never looked back.

Kendall Burks is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Denver, Colorado. He first discovered Balinese Gamelan in 2009 while studying at CU Boulder, where he graduated in 2012 with a degree in music composition. He joined Tunas Mekar in 2011, and his membership since then has been defined by the continual deepening and expansion of his interest and appreciation of the Balinese musical tradition. This culminated in 2018 with the creation of his composition, “Kayu Sakti” which draws heavily from traditional forms while expanding them into new territory as well. Outside of the gamelan, Kendall is active in the Denver music scene as a versatile collaborator and an adventurous recording artist and performer. He released his debut solo album, Waves, in September 2018, which can be found at his website: kendallburks.com.

Aaron has been practicing Balinese Music & Dance with Tunas Mekar since 2011, when he was first bitten by the wild bronze during his undergraduate studies in music composition at MSU Denver. When not playing gamelan, Aaron can be found designing & building music education software, improvising music with friends, and rollerblading. Aaron is currently exploring ways to combine Balinese Dance with Wizard Skating to discover new forms of human movement. Among other reasons, Aaron loves Balinese gamelan for its sense of community-oriented rhythm, deep grooves, and elaborate costumery. Aaron is a founder of the Denver-based performing arts collective Witches & Science, a member of exploratory ensembles Lé Secret & Pak Yeh, as well as an avid member of the Denver Urban Skate Troop. He loves wearing bright colors, hearing/creating experimental sound, and taking long skates on the beach (sometimes all at once).