Sophie Ransby, Southbank Gamelan Players

Sophie Ransby began playing Javanese gamelan in 1989 in Bradford-on-Avon and at Southbank Centre, London. After graduating with a BMus Hons specialising in clarinet performance, and an MA in composition from City University, Sophie was awarded a Darmasiswa Scholarship by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to study karawaitan (gamelan music) at Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia in Surakarta, Java.

In 2003, after three years studying in Java, Sophie returned to London and began freelancing as a teacher of Javanese and Balinese gamelan at institutions such as Southbank Centre, LSO Discovery St. Luke's, RNCM and The Sage, Gatehead. In 2006, she was appointed Gamelan Advisor at Southbank Centre and continues to manage the gamelan programme there to date. She was awarded a Ph. D in Ethnomusicology from City University, London in 2013 which a thesis investigating the role of Javanese gamelan notation in Central Java. Sophie also plays gamelan professionally with the Southbank Gamelan Players and other gamelan groups across the UK and Europe.

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