Conductor Jahja Ling still feels close to his roots<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Most Indonesians have never heard of Jahja Ling, but the
\nconductor's list of achievements -- and the fact that he was born
\nhere -- should have them taking notice.<\/p>\n
His experience led to him being appointed music director of
\nthe San Diego Symphony in September 2004; for pop culture trivia
\nbuffs, he is also the man who conducted the orchestra for Whitney
\nHuston's celebrated Super Bowl rendition of the Star-Spangled
\nBanner.<\/p>\n
His career was forged from his early interest in music. At age
\nfour, Jahja began to play the piano, later studying under Suzy
\nDjoeandy and Rudy Laban at the Jakarta School of Music. At 17, he
\nwon the Jakarta piano competition.<\/p>\n
And musical talent runs in his family.<\/p>\n
\"I heard that my grandma (who died before he was born) was a
\ngood violinist and one of only two in Jakarta at that time. She
\ncouldn't play anymore after she got married,\" said Jahja, 52.<\/p>\n
Although music does not offer a promising career in Indonesia,
\nhe received full family support when he decided to make it his
\nprofession.<\/p>\n
\"My parents were supportive, which I'm very thankful for,
\nbecause I'm the only son, and a lot of people would probably push
\ntheir sons to be a doctor or engineer, which are 'better'
\ncareers.<\/p>\n
\"We musicians don't have any guarantee of being successful.\"<\/p>\n
At age 18, Jahja got a scholarship from the Rockefeller
\nFoundation to continue his studies at New York City's The
\nJuilliard School, majoring in piano. After graduation, he went to
\nYale School of Music where he studied orchestral conducting under
\nOtto-Werner Mueller.<\/p>\n
He was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Conducting Fellowship at
\nTanglewood and later was selected by Bernstein himself, who
\nbecame one of his most influential mentors, to be a Conducting
\nFellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. In 1988 he was
\na recipient of the Seaver\/National Endowment for the Arts
\nConductor's Award, confirming that he was considered a conductor
\nof extraordinary promise.<\/p>\n
He joined the Cleveland Orchestra as a pianist in 1987 and in
\n1988 was appointed resident conductor, a position he held until
\n2002. During that period, he has conducted at least 400 concerts
\nand 600 works with the orchestra alone. He was also founding
\nmusic director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.<\/p>\n
They are only a few of his achievements over a long, durable
\ncareer.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very thankful that my career did not soar like a jet, but
\nit's slow moving but very stable and steady.\"<\/p>\n
Critics and influential people in classical music, including
\nthe conductor's mentors\/teachers Mueller, conductor Kurt Masur
\nand Bernstein, recognize his skills.<\/p>\n
But one of the first people to notice a remarkable talent in a
\nboy named Jahja was Rev. Stephen Tong, founder of Stephen Tong
\nEvangelistic Ministries International (STEMI).<\/p>\n
\"He played the piano during my services. Jahja is the greatest
\nmusician ever born in Indonesia. Many Indonesians do not
\nappreciate a man of great talent like him. I guess that is why
\ncultural and artistic life in the country tends to grow weaker,\"
\nrecollected Stephen, who invited the conductor to Jakarta
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
\"When he won a (bronze) medal (at the 1977 Arthur Rubinstein
\nInternational Piano Master Competition) in Israel, Indonesia did
\nnot have any diplomatic relations with Israel and when he
\nreceived a certificate of honor (1978 Tchaikovsky International
\nPiano Competition) in Moscow, our country's relations with Russia
\nwere not good.<\/p>\n
\"What he has achieved has surpassed discrimination of race,
\nreligion and politics.\"<\/p>\n
In his early career, Jahja had to work extra hard to prove his
\nworth. Being Chinese-Indonesian and having studied music in the
\nU.S. led to doubts about his ability to interpret the works of
\nEuropean composers.<\/p>\n
However, his musical training, including the Dutch-influenced
\ninstruction from his Indonesian teachers, provided him a solid
\nfoundation to overcome the prejudice and proved himself capable
\nin a domain highly dominated by European counterparts.<\/p>\n
\"It's sometimes frustrating but I'm grateful that even though
\nI was trained in the U.S., my teachers are from Europe -- Germany
\nand Poland -- and they taught me European traditions,\" said
\nJahja, who has conducted most of the major symphony orchestras in
\nthe U.S., including bringing respect to the Florida symphony, as
\nwell as in various countries around the globe.<\/p>\n
Besides his natural talent, the conductor said hard work and
\npreparedness to perform also contribute to his success.<\/p>\n
\"Some people said that gift is 80 percent and work is 20
\npercent. It's not true. A lot of people have to work 90 percent
\nto get there. I always have to be prepared. Do you know how many
\ntimes I had to substitute in Cleveland already? Twenty times, 20
\ndifferent programs, I substituted at the last minute. No
\nrehearsal, no preparation.\"<\/p>\n
Even after performing a score a dozen times, rehearsal is
\nstill an important factor that helps bring out the right
\ninterpretation of the score and establishes a harmonious bond
\nbetween the conductor and the orchestra.<\/p>\n
\"(An orchestra) is not something that can be set on auto
\npilot. Music is a transition from (point A to point B). It's the
\nconductor's job to lead the orchestra through the transitions and
\nit's a complex job. Being a conductor means you are a performer,
\na traffic cop, a coordinator and an interpreter at the same
\ntime,\" Jahja said.<\/p>\n
\"At a certain point, you have to be away from or outside the
\norchestra to make sure that everything is fine, and other times
\nyou have to be involved in it so the orchestra knows they have to
\nbe with you in one concept.\"<\/p>\n
A conductor must know what the composer wants and be able to
\nexpress that knowledge to make the performance alive, qualities
\nthat have been cited by Jahja's peers.<\/p>\n
\"He was definitely the front-runner in our polling,\" San Diego
\nSymphony principal flutist Sarah Tuck told the San Diego Union-
\nTribune upon his appointment. \"His experience shows on the
\npodium. He's also very inspiringthe kind of conductor who makes
\nyou want to play well for him.\"<\/p>\n
\"My teacher once said that he can teach the techniques,
\nanalysis and other stuff but the one thing he cannot teach is the
\nchemistry with the orchestra,\" Jahja said.<\/p>\n
He expresses his gratefulness about what he has achieved
\nthrough accepting the fact that every individual is unique and
\nhas their own calling.<\/p>\n
\"I believe God has given me a mission with my talent. I serve
\nGod with it. It's a cultural mandate and not for my own sake or
\nfame or wealth. I'm not worried about my career.<\/p>\n
\"I'm called probably to build (small) orchestras. Like George
\nSzell, he stayed and built Cleveland (orchestra) until he died.
\nThe New York Times (once) wrote that 'George Szell created his
\nown (orchestra) and created the best'.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very happy with my career. I'm thankful.\"<\/p>\n
After over 30 years of living in the U.S. and becoming a U.S.
\ncitizen, Jahja has kept one thing the same.<\/p>\n
\"I still keep my name, Jahja. I did not change Jahja into John
\nto conceal the fact that I came from Indonesia. I want to
\npreserve that, so people know that not only a European can
\nconduct German music.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/conductor-jahja-ling-still-feels-close-to-his-roots-1447893297",
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