As an equally successful composer, his works have been commissioned and performed by the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music, Indonesian Opera Society, among others.
[1] His groundbreaking opera written for one soprano only, based on a monologue by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, "IBU -- yang anaknya diculik itu" (Mother, whose son had been kidnapped) was just premiered in June 2009 in Jakarta.
His works have been the object of studies for many doctoral thesis and other musical researches by many students, professionals, musicians and musicologists in the U.S, Europe and Australia.
[2] Although a Muslim himself, Ananda is highly critical of Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, whom he accuses of pandering to Islam extremists.
When Baswedan showed up at a college reunion, Ananda chose to leave the room, an activity that he did spontaneously without asking anyone to follow what he did, as a declaration of his own views and morals.