Striking a chord with classics and pop alike<\/p>\n
Duncan Graham, Contributor\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
Petra Chorale, East Java's internationally famous choir, has a
\nnew musical director.<\/p>\n
Aprilia Wisminarni Takasenserang will face her first major
\ntest as conductor of the prestigious choir at a gala Christmas
\nconcert in Surabaya on Dec. 2.<\/p>\n
However, the 29-year-old mezzo-soprano is no stranger to
\npublic events in Indonesia and overseas.<\/p>\n
Before taking on her new appointment she worked closely with
\nthe previous director, the charismatic Aris Sudibyo who has moved
\nto Papua with his soprano wife, Evelyn Kok.<\/p>\n
Under his direction the choir won championships at festivals
\nin Kupang and Bandung. It also performed in Jakarta, Hong Kong,
\nMalaysia and Singapore, and in many Indonesian provinces.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya the choir has developed a loyal and significant
\nfollowing for its lively and joyful presentations of sacred and
\nsecular music, particularly pop classics from composers like
\nAndrew Lloyd Webber.<\/p>\n
The Phantom may have slunk into his backstage crypt at the
\nopera in London and New York but his melodramatic passion
\ncontinues in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Petra Chorale has 25 members drawn from the staff and students
\nof Petra University. There are two other choirs composed of
\njunior and senior undergraduates, and Aprilia has to direct them
\nall -- from those aspiring to be Indonesia's Sarah Brightman
\nthrough to melody makers who would be happy in a karaoke bar.<\/p>\n
\"Although our mission is to develop church music we also love
\nto blend the traditional with the modern and interpret the music
\nthrough dance,\" Aprilia said.<\/p>\n
\"Our repertoire includes classical choral music, Renaissance
\nmadrigals, Afro-American spirituals, pop, contemporary and
\nIndonesian folk music.\"<\/p>\n
The Petra choirs may have hijacked some classics but they are
\nnot static, stand-and-deliver performers. They have a reputation
\nfor providing lively entertainment, with spectacular costumes and
\ntraditional instruments from across the archipelago. Their
\nprograms often include the frivolous along with the classical.<\/p>\n
If you quiver at the thought of encountering a quaver, fear
\nnot. You do not need a starched shirt to attend one of their
\nconcerts -- just an open heart and a willingness to accept
\nsurprise.<\/p>\n
Audience participation<\/p>\n
Music aficionados in Surabaya still relive a snappy and
\noriginal interpretation of the banal pop song Don't Worry, Be
\nHappy at a French Consulate concert developed by voice coach
\nRichard Awuy. This turned a chamber-music room into a music hall
\nwith diplomats dancing alongside divas.<\/p>\n
Although the congregations of most churches are expected to
\nsing every Sunday, the result is not always praiseworthy. The
\nsame goes for church choirs and invited vocal groups who often
\nperform brackets of hymns jazzed up with a couple of guitars to
\nattract a younger audience.<\/p>\n
Protocol for these events usually requires visitors to leave
\nexpressions of pleasure locked in the vestry. Some charismatic
\nchurches allow applause. Others expect Pastor Grim to briefly
\nshift from sin-spotting to nod his or her recognition of the
\nperformance on behalf of the silent parishioners.<\/p>\n
These worthies occasionally wonder whether the Deity could be
\nbetter praised with singers staying in tune and sharing the same
\nsong sheet.<\/p>\n
Under Aris' tutelage Petra Chorale offered its services to
\nchurches across East Java who believed their choirs could lift
\nvoices along with hearts and minds. In the university's formal
\nlanguage this reads: \"To intensively support church services and
\nto promote good choir ministry.\" This policy will continue with
\nAprilia.<\/p>\n
\"I'll also be concentrating on building the organizational
\nstructure and management,\" she said. \"We need to find more
\norchestral talent. Most student musicians have learned the
\npiano, while we need strings and woodwinds. I'm out to spot new
\nabilities.\"<\/p>\n
The choir doesn't back an orchestra but uses individual
\nmusicians to set the mood. Members need to be multitalented, as
\nthe choirs' repertoire requires them to sing in Indonesian,
\nregional languages, English, Italian, French and occasionally
\nLatin.<\/p>\n
The singers are unpaid volunteers, but presentation and
\npromotion are anything but amateur. Petra runs a Church Music
\nAppreciation and Development Program but this cannot confer
\ndegrees. Many on the campus have long been urging the university
\nauthorities to create a full-blown music department.<\/p>\n
Aris was an architecture graduate from Petra but had to study
\nin Singapore to get his music credentials. Aprilia came from
\nSemarang in Central Java, where her parents were both singers.
\nShe studied civil engineering at Petra, but her real interest was
\nchords, not concrete.<\/p>\n
She graduated in 2000 but since then has preferred to employ
\nher soaring musical talents rather than build high-rises.<\/p>\n
In the absence of a music department, graduating in other
\nprofessions seems to be the pattern. Aprilia's colleague, tenor
\nAdi Margono, who leads the Petra Chorale, learned hotel
\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
In her new position another skill will be in great demand from
\nthe young director: maintaining harmony on and off the stage
\namong more than 100 artistic people married to their
\ninterpretation of music.<\/p>\n
When Aris and his wife quit Petra earlier this year after
\neight years developing music at the university there were reports
\nof many choristers being emotionally distressed at the split
\nbetween campus and couple.<\/p>\n
\"We have to all work together, it's like being in a family,\"
\nsaid Aprilia. We are so close, it's important to maintain that
\nfeeling. We have to be united and continue to produce fine new
\nmusicians.\"<\/p>\n
(The Dec. 2 Christmas concert Credo will be performed at the
\nPetra auditorium. For details and tickets phone (031) 298 3120.)<\/p>\n
(Pic captions: Aprilia by herself and with Adi Margono. In
\ncostume, and the choir.)<\/p>",
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