American group to perform here

JAKARTA (JP): Eight musicians arriving from the United States, including seven opera singers, will perform in a fund raising show at Puri Agung, Sahid Jaya Hotel and Tower, Central Jakarta, on Aug. 11

Sime Darby, a non-profit institution specializing in organizing opera performances in Southeast Asian countries, is jointly sponsoring the Le Grande Opera with Sahid Jaya Hotel and American Express.

Singer Adib Fazah, who has been working for New York City Opera since 1973, will be the leader of the singers. The other tour members are sopranos Pamela Kucenic and Patrice Boyd, mezzo- soprano Gwendolyn Jones, tenors Noel Espiritu Velasco and Rico Serbo, basso Stefan Szkafarowsky and pianist Oksana Protenic.

Jakarta artists, baritone singer Pranadjaja and mezzo-soprano Catharina Wewengkang, will also join the one-night performance.

The singers will perform some well-known pieces, such as McHugh, Fields and Oppenheimer's Every Night at Eight, Romberg's The Student Prince, Loewe and Lerner's Camelot and Leigh's Man of La Mancha.

Haroen Al Rasjid, a member of the board directors of Sime Darby, said the opera group is here as part of their tour to Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and China.

This is the fourth Le Grand Opera performance in Jakarta, said Kunto Wibisono, chairman of the organizing committee.

The proceeds from the show will be donated to Indonesia's Red Cross Organization (PMI).

"PMI will use the aid to help relieve the burden of the victims of the recent natural disasters across the country," said Ibnu Sutowo, chairman of PMI.

Admission tickets to the show, including dinner, are set at Rp 150.000, Rp 275,000 and Rp 375,000 per person. (18)