I Dewa Nyoman Supenida

I Dewa Nyoman Supenida

was born in 1962 in Buleleng, Bali and, as is often the case there, became intensely involved with his country’s great variety music and music theatre traditions already as a child. After his studies at the art academy STSI (Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia) in Denpasar, Bali, he transferred to the art academy STSI Padangpanjang, West Sumatra as a lecturer in Balinese gamelan. As a composer, I Dewa Nyoman Supenida lives, in a positive sense, between two fronts—his own Balinese tradition and the musical culture of West Sumatra. He thus embodies a central ideal of this festival: although Balinese elements are particularly prominent in his work, the piece nonetheless represents two different Indonesian cultural spheres being brought into contact with each other.