Life and music inseparable for Aida Swenson

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Life and music is inseparable for Aida Swenson Simanjuntak.

Her eyes shine brightly, as she says, "Music has enriched my whole life."

A few years ago, the name of Aida Swenson was not recognized in the Indonesian music circle. Now, she is one of the most talked-about individuals in the serious music community.

Five months ago she was chosen to conduct the Twilite Chorus, a newly-established choir managed by the established Twilite Orchestra.

"I felt very much honored to be appointed as the chorus conductor," said Aida, a mother of three teenagers.

Twilite Orchestra's conductor Addie MS explained that they chose Aida because of her musical skills as well as her personality.

"We needed a dedicated person with a highly reputable music background to conduct Twilite Chorus and we thought that Aida was the right person for the post," Addie said.

Born 40 years ago as the eldest daughter of famous songwriter Alfred Simanjuntak, the composer of Bangun Pemudi Pemuda, Aida has been involved in numerous musical activities since childhood.

Instead of pursuing a career in communications as she had always dreamed of, she received a scholarship from the Geneva- based World Council of Churches in l971 to study music for seven years before she got her masters in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.

Aida has led the children's choir, Paduan Suara Anak Indonesia, the Indonesian Children's Choir and the Concordian Choir.

The Children's choir won the highest award at the Choir Competition among ASEAN countries in Manila last year.

"It clearly shows that Indonesia can actually achieve high recognition internationally," said Aida, who is now active as a music teacher at several higher learning institutions.

The development of choral music in Indonesia is still in its infancy, especially when compared to the neighboring countries of Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, Aida commented.

Yoseph Suryadi, a soloist, said, however, that recent choir activities in the country have shown encouraging development. Several choir competitions were organized by universities and other institutions. A number of new choirs have also enhanced the local music scene.

"It is expected that the establishment of Twilite Chorus will encourage choral music in the country," Kristanto said.

Audition

Addie hopes that Twilite Chorus will become a professional choir in the future. To realize this dream, he held a special audition to select candidates for the chorus.

The audition took place at the Dutch Cultural Center Erasmus Huis between April 23 and April 30 this year.

The judges included Aida, Yoseph Suryadi, Addie MS and Alex Frits, Twilite's communications manager.

Some 275 candidates underwent a series of musical tests, including musical techniques, sight singing and intonation in the audition. Sixty-two of 275 candidates were chosen to join Twilite Chorus. The chorus members are comprised of university students and young professionals whose ages range from 17 to 27 years old.

"I am convinced that the quality of the chorus members is above average, yet we still want to improve their skills to reach international standards," Aida commented.

The idea to establish the chorus stemmed from the difficulty in maintaining long-term cooperation with choir groups, especially student choirs, according to Addie.

Over the last two years, Twilite Orchestra performances were often supported by a number of choirs such as the Paragita Choir from the University of Indonesia and The University of Parahyangan Choir.

"However, it was hard to arrange for a time for a joint practice as they were university students with their own schedules," Addie explained.

"It became my obsession to set up our own choir to support our activities," he added.

"But, that doesn't mean that our relationship with other choirs is over. They have supported our previous performances and we are very thankful. I hope we can still work together in the near future," Alex quickly injected.

The establishment of Twilite Chorus is aimed not only at supporting the orchestra's activities but also at improving the public's appreciation of choirs.

"At present, people still think a choir can only sing serious and boring music that cause frowns on their foreheads," Aida said.

Proof

The fact that many choirs have started to include a large number of pop and even rock songs in their repertoires is proof that a choir can be entertaining, she argued.

Songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are the Champions by British rock group The Queen, or the Beatles's hit Yesterday could be arranged in a serious yet appealing choral sound, she explained.

Even in one choir competition, the organizing committee decided to declare a popular song, Kisah Sedih di Hari Minggu by local band Koes Plus, as a requirement. It worked well. Traditional and ethnic songs like Janger Bali (Bali), Jali-jali (Jakarta) and Suwe Ora Jamu (Central Java) will also enrich the group's repertoire, said Aida.

"It is not true that performing rock or popular songs will lower the quality of a choir, especially since we are still required to master standard musical techniques," Aida commented.

During its performance at the Bogor Palace last weekend, the chorus presented a number of light songs as well as classics. The group performed Ati Raja, a traditional song from South Sulawesi, Varia Nusantara, Kupinta Lagi by Cornelis Simanjuntak and Sanusi Pane, and Triumphal March by Giuseppe Verdi.

"We plan to perform classical pieces by Johaness Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and other great composers," she said.

However, possessing musical talent and mastering musical skills aren't the crucial factors in making a choir successful.

"The success of a choir lies mostly in teamwork. It is the work of all members of the choir, not the choral conductor," she stressed.

"A choir consists of a number of persons, each with a different personality. Each member must learn how to understand other people's feelings, ideas and opinions. They learn how to accept people's accomplishments as well as their shortcomings," she explained.

"It is almost hopeless to create a solid and harmonious group if it consists of self-centered individuals who lack self- discipline," she said.

Aida is currently trying hard to build a personal relationship with all the chorus members. As most of the members are still teenagers, Aida tries to place herself as their best friend rather than their choir conductor.

"We must orchestrate our hearts and minds before we can produce melodious and harmonious sounds. That is a fact in a choir," Aida concluded.