Conductor Jahja Ling still feels close to his roots

Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta

Most Indonesians have never heard of Jahja Ling, but the conductor's list of achievements -- and the fact that he was born here -- should have them taking notice.

His experience led to him being appointed music director of the San Diego Symphony in September 2004; for pop culture trivia buffs, he is also the man who conducted the orchestra for Whitney Huston's celebrated Super Bowl rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

His career was forged from his early interest in music. At age four, Jahja began to play the piano, later studying under Suzy Djoeandy and Rudy Laban at the Jakarta School of Music. At 17, he won the Jakarta piano competition.

And musical talent runs in his family.

"I heard that my grandma (who died before he was born) was a good violinist and one of only two in Jakarta at that time. She couldn't play anymore after she got married," said Jahja, 52.

Although music does not offer a promising career in Indonesia, he received full family support when he decided to make it his profession.

"My parents were supportive, which I'm very thankful for, because I'm the only son, and a lot of people would probably push their sons to be a doctor or engineer, which are 'better' careers.

"We musicians don't have any guarantee of being successful."

At age 18, Jahja got a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation to continue his studies at New York City's The Juilliard School, majoring in piano. After graduation, he went to Yale School of Music where he studied orchestral conducting under Otto-Werner Mueller.

He was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood and later was selected by Bernstein himself, who became one of his most influential mentors, to be a Conducting Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. In 1988 he was a recipient of the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductor's Award, confirming that he was considered a conductor of extraordinary promise.

He joined the Cleveland Orchestra as a pianist in 1987 and in 1988 was appointed resident conductor, a position he held until 2002. During that period, he has conducted at least 400 concerts and 600 works with the orchestra alone. He was also founding music director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

They are only a few of his achievements over a long, durable career.

"I'm very thankful that my career did not soar like a jet, but it's slow moving but very stable and steady."

Critics and influential people in classical music, including the conductor's mentors/teachers Mueller, conductor Kurt Masur and Bernstein, recognize his skills.

But one of the first people to notice a remarkable talent in a boy named Jahja was Rev. Stephen Tong, founder of Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International (STEMI).

"He played the piano during my services. Jahja is the greatest musician ever born in Indonesia. Many Indonesians do not appreciate a man of great talent like him. I guess that is why cultural and artistic life in the country tends to grow weaker," recollected Stephen, who invited the conductor to Jakarta recently.

"When he won a (bronze) medal (at the 1977 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition) in Israel, Indonesia did not have any diplomatic relations with Israel and when he received a certificate of honor (1978 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition) in Moscow, our country's relations with Russia were not good.

"What he has achieved has surpassed discrimination of race, religion and politics."

In his early career, Jahja had to work extra hard to prove his worth. Being Chinese-Indonesian and having studied music in the U.S. led to doubts about his ability to interpret the works of European composers.

However, his musical training, including the Dutch-influenced instruction from his Indonesian teachers, provided him a solid foundation to overcome the prejudice and proved himself capable in a domain highly dominated by European counterparts.

"It's sometimes frustrating but I'm grateful that even though I was trained in the U.S., my teachers are from Europe -- Germany and Poland -- and they taught me European traditions," said Jahja, who has conducted most of the major symphony orchestras in the U.S., including bringing respect to the Florida symphony, as well as in various countries around the globe.

Besides his natural talent, the conductor said hard work and preparedness to perform also contribute to his success.

"Some people said that gift is 80 percent and work is 20 percent. It's not true. A lot of people have to work 90 percent to get there. I always have to be prepared. Do you know how many times I had to substitute in Cleveland already? Twenty times, 20 different programs, I substituted at the last minute. No rehearsal, no preparation."

Even after performing a score a dozen times, rehearsal is still an important factor that helps bring out the right interpretation of the score and establishes a harmonious bond between the conductor and the orchestra.

"(An orchestra) is not something that can be set on auto pilot. Music is a transition from (point A to point B). It's the conductor's job to lead the orchestra through the transitions and it's a complex job. Being a conductor means you are a performer, a traffic cop, a coordinator and an interpreter at the same time," Jahja said.

"At a certain point, you have to be away from or outside the orchestra to make sure that everything is fine, and other times you have to be involved in it so the orchestra knows they have to be with you in one concept."

A conductor must know what the composer wants and be able to express that knowledge to make the performance alive, qualities that have been cited by Jahja's peers.

"He was definitely the front-runner in our polling," San Diego Symphony principal flutist Sarah Tuck told the San Diego Union- Tribune upon his appointment. "His experience shows on the podium. He's also very inspiringthe kind of conductor who makes you want to play well for him."

"My teacher once said that he can teach the techniques, analysis and other stuff but the one thing he cannot teach is the chemistry with the orchestra," Jahja said.

He expresses his gratefulness about what he has achieved through accepting the fact that every individual is unique and has their own calling.

"I believe God has given me a mission with my talent. I serve God with it. It's a cultural mandate and not for my own sake or fame or wealth. I'm not worried about my career.

"I'm called probably to build (small) orchestras. Like George Szell, he stayed and built Cleveland (orchestra) until he died. The New York Times (once) wrote that 'George Szell created his own (orchestra) and created the best'.

"I'm very happy with my career. I'm thankful."

After over 30 years of living in the U.S. and becoming a U.S. citizen, Jahja has kept one thing the same.

"I still keep my name, Jahja. I did not change Jahja into John to conceal the fact that I came from Indonesia. I want to preserve that, so people know that not only a European can conduct German music."