Sharmini Ratnasingam, the award-winning musician, executive producer and founding member of contemporary gamelan ensemble Rhythm In Bronze, died on Wednesday (July 15). She was 61. She had been diagnosed with cancer.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Sharmini developed an early affinity for music, beginning with piano before taking up the trombone in her school band. She became SMK Assunta’s first trombonist, an early achievement in a musical journey that would eventually lead her to gamelan and see her play a significant role in shaping Malaysia’s contemporary performing arts landscape.
As a professional musician, Sharmini spent nearly three decades with the Malaysia Airlines corporate orchestra, where she was first introduced to gamelan. What began as a chance encounter with the bronze percussion instrument grew into the defining artistic pursuit of her life.
In the mid-1990s, she joined a gamelan club at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur led by her former schoolmate, composer and ethnomusicologist Sunetra Fernando.
The group of musicians they brought together later became Rhythm In Bronze, founded by Sunetra in 1997, laying the foundations for what would become one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary gamelan ensembles.
Initially conceived as an all-women ensemble, Rhythm In Bronze united musicians dedicated to mastering the full range of gamelan instruments while challenging established notions of the art form.
From the outset, Sharmini embraced the evolving possibilities within the gamelan community with boundless passion, welcoming the changes that shaped its development.
"The world has lost a force of nature. Someone who touched so many people with her big heart and zest for life," read a statement by Rhythm In Bronze in tribute to its beloved member.
Sharmini’s experience as a working musician proved invaluable to the community-based ensemble, which often spent months preparing for performances. Her management skills and production expertise helped shape the group’s mainstream trajectory, taking it from university halls and black box spaces to major Kuala Lumpur stages.
One of its most significant productions was the 2004 concert Wujud Antara, a collaboration featuring Malaysian, Indonesian and British composers, held at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP) in Kuala Lumpur.
It marked the first time a Malaysian gamelan ensemble performed at the DFP. Sharmini, as a seasoned theatre performer back then, said the eight months of rehearsals and preparation were a testament to the commitment, discipline and collective effort behind the ambitious production.
Through the years, Rhythm In Bronze has been defined by a sustained creative partnership, with Sharmini collaborating closely with Sunetra and later with marine biologist and biogeographer Dr Jillian Ooi.
Together, they guided the intercultural ensemble’s artistic development, expanding the possibilities of gamelan through collaboration, experimentation and contemporary performance.
Seen as an important bridge between Rhythm In Bronze’s founding years and its continuing evolution, Sharmini remained a committed presence throughout the ensemble’s wide-ranging artistic work. Her contributions extended across theatre productions, community programmes, arts festivals and collaborative music projects.
Grassroots outreach was also central to her work, reflecting her commitment to bringing gamelan to wider communities and audiences. In 2004, she initiated a series of gamelan-based community projects.
"Sharmini was a dear friend who left a lasting presence in all of us. Her incredible spirit and contribution is not limited to the arts, as she has been a mentor to many of us. Teaching unspoken lessons with love and irreplaceable generosity," wrote arts portal Kakiseni in its tribute.
Operating under the umbrella of Five Arts Centre for nearly a decade, the ensemble also became an important force in expanding the vocabulary and visibility of gamelan across the performing arts scene in Malaysia.
Gamelan theatre, pioneered by the ensemble, began attracting collaborators from across the performing arts, while Rhythm In Bronze expanded its productions through the integration of dance, music, performance and storytelling, with Sharmini, playing many roles, actively involved in the creative process.
In a tribute, Five Arts Centre said: "Our collective had the great privilege to work alongside Sharmini on many occasions across the decades, and we were able to witness at close quarters her contributions to the Malaysian artistic landscape, across different capacities and eras."
It later described Sharmini as "The caring, passionate and ever resourceful executive producer of RIB, while still pulling double duties as an ensemble musician onstage. The old friend and collaborator who radiates warmth and generosity at events and encounters across the decades."
Sharmini, who often named the demung and gong as her favourite gamelan instruments, later took on the role of Rhythm In Bronze executive producer in 2008.
As a producer, Sharmini came into her own through Rhythm In Bronze productions such as Bites Of Delights: Twirly Whirly Tales From The Spice Trail (2012) and Ombak!: Tales From Above And Beneath The Waves (2014), two highly successful children’s gamelan theatre works. She also played a leading role in major gamelan productions including Arus Gangsa (2014) and Seruan Setu (2023), guiding them with vision and dedication.
In that capacity, she helped consolidate the ensemble’s organisational foundations, extend its reach and introduce contemporary gamelan to broader audiences in Malaysia and internationally.
