Barbara Benary (April 7, 1946 – March 17, 2019)[1] was an American composer and ethnomusicologist specializing in Indonesian and Indian music.[2]
Benary composed music for a number of theatrical productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club during the 1970s. She composed music for the ETC Company of La MaMa's repertory production of The Only Jealousy of Emer, which was produced during the early 1970s at La MaMa's East Village theater and on tour.[3][4][5] She composed music for Gauntlet or the Moon's on Fire, written and directed by John Braswell and produced at La MaMa in 1976.[6]
In 1976, she co-founded Gamelan Son of Lion with Philip Corner and Daniel Goode.[7] She constructed most of the group's instruments. Benary performed with Gamelan Son of Lion in a production called 1001 Instruments You've Never Seen or Heard at La MaMa in 1979.[8] Her major works include two shadow puppet operas entitled Karna and The Story of Esther.[citation needed]