BUFFALO, N.Y. — A unique musical opportunity in Buffalo just got a massive delivery. Authentic Indonesian instruments and cultural items arrived after a more than four-month journey.

In a small room at Saint John Grace Church in Buffalo, the sounds of Indonesia drift through the hallways.

“A gamelan orchestra from Indonesia is made up of a lot of different bronze instruments and they're basically working together to create music just like in a western orchestra,” said Matt Dunning, the executive director of Nusantara Arts, a group focused on Indonesian culture and arts.

He started teaching these classes back in 2016 playing on iron instruments. Only recently did they get new authentic bronze ones, raising more than $40,000 to ship them from Indonesia.

“This is like sort of the classic material that is used in gamelan construction and it sounds incredible,” said Dunning. “They're beautiful and we're very excited to have them.”

This is a rare community-based cultural group. Most other places where you could learn the gamelan are universities.

“The music is wonderful. It feels great to play it. It's wonderful to just be around it,” explained Timothy Bardo.

Bardo is one of many students here who don’t take the opportunity for granted. Another one is Ayu Vitous, who is from Indonesia herself.

“I have been wanting to play gamelan since I was in Indonesia growing up but unfortunately gamelan for the whole set is very expensive,” she explained. “So not every town had gamelan instruments.”

She’s one of the hundreds of students over the years who learned the gamelan in Buffalo.

“It brings back memories, definitely,” said Vitous.

It’s a calm experience that keeps people coming back.

“That's that's a big part of this music, listening,” said Bardo. “I don't want to sound cheesy, but like vibing with it, the more you listen, the more you feel a part of it and create it.”

This class teaches students about the culture and fosters friendships.

“It feels great. It feels like I am a part of cultural developments,” said Vitous.

Maybe it’s even starting family traditions to help connect to the homeland.

“I'm going to bring my daughter who's 10 years old for next time,” Vitous added.

You can watch the group perform live on December 16 at 8 p.m. at St. John Grace Episcopal Church.

Tickets for that can be found here.

To find out more or sign up for classes, click here.