Zachary Hejny received the Fulbright Student Research Award for his project titled “Techniques of Melodic Elaboration in Gamelan Styles from Bali, East Java, and Lombok.” The project will document how musicians construct heterophonic melodic relationships in communities from Malang, Surabaya, and Banyuwangi in east Java, throughout Bali, and reaching Mataram in western Lombok. It analyzes how instrument organology (tunings, scales, sound production methods, etc.), modes of performer interactivity (improvisation, interlocking, cue/response, etc.), and cross-influence from other styles affect such melodic structures. The project extends its geographic scope beyond classic categories of Indonesian music (‘gamelan Bali,’ ‘gamelan Jawa,’ and others) in hopes that, when examined alongside histories of migration and other non-musical perspectives, the musical analysis will inform understandings about how these communities – practicing different religions, languages, and social structures – fit together into a larger Indonesian context.

Zach is a musician from California. He received a doctorate in cross-cultural composition from UC Santa Cruz. His artistic practice intersects the American experimental tradition, punk and noise scenes, DIY sound sculpture and instrument building, traditional Indonesian music, and soundscape ecology. He serves on the board of directors for two non-profit organizations promoting work by Indonesian composers: Yayasan Pusat Penelitian Intercultural Mandala, based in Yogyakarta, and Insitu Recordings, based in Bali. He also volunteers as assistant director for the latter, where he helps manage an archive of historical gamelan recordings, a digital magazine publication, and contemporary recording projects.

*Zachary Hejny is a Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Fulbright Student Research grantee. Due to the global pandemic, his grant was deferred to FY2022.