Oni obsessed with being an artist of character

Oni obsessed with being an artist of character

Iwan Seti, Contributor, Jakarta

Musician Oni Krisnerwinto, 34, is clear about wanting to make an
impression in Indonesia's music scene.

"I want to do something (to improve it). Criticizing things
without actually doing anything is the same thing as lying."

So the Yogyakarta native formed Sa'unine String Quartet, in
which he plays first violin, together with fellow musicians
Syahrier Helmy (second violinist), Surtihadi (viola) and Dimawan
Krisnowo Adji (cello).

Established in 1989, the quartet plays a wide range of music,
from bebop, funk, rock and pop to jazz and classical music,
despite playing only stringed instruments.

This variety of styles has helped the band create its
distinctive sound, and earned the group compliments from not only
critics and audiences but also musicians and singers, many of
whom have asked the group to accompany them in performances.

Oni's place in the local music scene does not end there, he is
also a concert master, assistant conductor and a conductor for
noted orchestra groups, such as the Twilite Orchestra and the
Erwin Gutawa Orchestra.

Music has been Oni's passion since he was a kid growing up in
a musical family.

"The greatest (musical) motivation was my father. If I asked
for a toy, for instance, I had to wait for a year to get it. But
if my guitar did not sound right, I would get a new one in a few
days," he said.

He learned guitar from his brother and son after, the fourth
of six siblings formed a band with his brothers and performed
regularly at churches.

During this time Oni went to Sekolah Menengah Music (music
high school), and took violin as his major even though he never
owned his own violin until his last year of study.

"I borrowed one from my friend. While waiting for my friend to
finish practicing with it, I would learn other musical
instruments, such as the saxophone, bass, the piano and others,"
he said.

This helped Oni gain a good command of other instruments.

Oni's studies concentrated mostly on classical music, but
outside of school Oni joined some bands from other high schools,
and participated in band festivals.

In one festival in Semarang, in 1988, his band brought home
five awards, and Oni won the award for best bassist.

"At that point, I was faced with two choices, play bass in a
band, or be a violinist and concentrate on classical music. After
talking to my father, I decided to stick with my original goal,
and opted for the latter."

That choice allowed him to concentrate on the final
examination, and he graduated from school with honors.

He then went to the Yogyakarta-based Indonesian Arts Institute
(ISI) in 1989, where he continued to major in violin. In his
spare time Oni often played saxophone in cafes.

At that time, one of the leading trends in the pop music scene
was the use of orchestras, as groups such as Madonna, Deep
Purple, and Metallica used them in their recordings.

Indonesia was influenced by this trend and orchestras grew and
developed in this country, leading to the emergence of groups
such as the Twilite Orchestra, the Erwin Gutawa Orchestra, and
the Dian Indonesia Orchestra. Oni himself joined the Nusantara
Chamber Orchestra.

The problem, however, was that the popularity of orchestra
music grew faster than the availability of qualified musicians.

"In the end, along with some friends from ISI, I often jumped
from one orchestra to another. In reality, no orchestras in
Indonesia have permanent musicians," said Oni.

Oni has also played in albums and concerts of pop groups like
KLa Project, Padi and Sheila On 7.

The abundant opportunities, however, have not satisfied Oni as
he wants to further explore different musical avenues and polish
his technical skills. That was why he established Sa'unine, a
Javanese word meaning "however it may sound".

"Initially, we played standard classical music. Then a
Japanese friend lent us a CD of the orchestra group Turtle
Island, which played Jazz. At that point we also started to play
jazz."

With Sa'unine, Oni and friends moved from campus to campus
performing and began to attract attention. In 1996, the group
also played alongside a theater performance.

After that, Oni got a job composing music to be played by an
orchestra.

"Not all songs can be performed using an orchestra, so that
was a bit difficult. Luckily back in high school, I worked with
pop songs from Queen, for example, and the soundtrack of Hawaii
Five O," said Oni. He said he was inspired by noted musician
Erwin Gutawa.

Last year, in collaboration with artist Sujiwo Tejo, he
composed music for Gallery of Kisses, a musical from EKI
Production.

"Musicals are a new thing in Indonesian entertainment circles.
So, for sure I was quite nervous about composing the music.
However, working with a multi-talented artist like Sujiwo Tejo
really boosted my spirits," he said.

Working in these two opposing musical streams, classical and
pop, motivates Oni to learn more about music.

"It seems that classical music is more prestigious and
requires more of a command of technical ability to play. However,
there have been times I also could not play a pop song smoothly
without referring to a musical sheet. Yet, comparatively, many
pop musicians compose and play songs without any knowledge of
musical theory," he said.

"My obsession is to be an artist whose work has its own
character, like Jan Garbaret (saxophonist)."

Nonetheless, Oni feels that he still has a long way to go. His
hectic schedule of playing in concerts, composing music and
performing at recording sessions has not made it any easier.

"I really wish for some spare time, where I can simply read
books, go fishing or ride a bike," he said, laughing.