Budiharjo to stage homecoming recital

Budiharjo to stage homecoming recital

An Indonesian-born pianist who has won international acclaim is expected to stage a rare performance at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) on Tuesday evening.

On invitation from the city's Vienna Music Conservatory, Canadian piano player Esther Budiharjo will take the stage for a solo piano recital at which she will perform Chopin's Preludes Op. 28 (all 24 of them) and compositions from Claude Debussy, Alexandra Tasman and Leopold Godowsky, which are tinged with Asian nuances.

Budiharjo, born 33 years ago in Cawang, East Jakarta, left the country in 1988 to pursue a degree in music in the United States. She enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and earned a doctorate in music there.

She has won many awards for her riveting performances. Music critic of the Boston Globe Richard Dyer said of her: "Budiharjo is one of the select pianists of our age ... her playing summoned laughter and tears; made the mind work, the spirit soar." -- JP