Orchestra raise funds for its competitor

Orchestra raise funds for its competitor

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Twilite Orchestra is going to perform on Monday for a noble
cause: to raise funds to help revive its competitor, Orkes
Simponi Nusantara (Nusantara Symphonic Orchestra).

Twilite Orchestra will perform a charity concert at Sajian
Apresiasi Bank Danamon (Bank Danamon's Appreciation Presentation)
on Dec. 16.

"Yes, it sounds weird, I admit. We are being asked to play to
help revive our own competitor. We can't say no or we will be
labeled as selfish," Twilite Orchestra conductor Addie MS said.

Sajian Apresiasi Bank Danamon is organized by Bank Danamon
together with the Nusantara Foundation, which oversees the
inactive Nusantara Symphonic Orchestra (OSN).

Danamon president Arwin Rasyid said that the concert will
generate some Rp 70 million (about US$7,700) from the 1,000
expected guests.

"The proceeds from the concert will go to Danamon's relief
fund and to the Nusantara Foundation," he said.

Miranda Goeltom from the Nusantara Foundation said that the
money for the foundation will be used to recruit personnel to
revive Nusantara Symphonic Orchestra.

Nusantara Symphonic Orchestra was established in 1988 by the
then minister of foreign affairs Mochtar Kusuma-Atmadja as a
pilot project for Yayasan Nusantara Jaya, a foundation dedicated
to the development of the arts and culture in Indonesia. The
foundation was later renamed Yayasan Nusantara.

From 1988 to 1996 the orchestra regularly performed under the
direction of the late Yazeed Djamin.

"We feel that classical music should be promoted not only by
supporting orchestras, but also by supporting the musicians
behind the orchestras," Goeltom said, explaining that a good
orchestra is one with its own full-time musicians.

Unfortunately for Indonesia, a combination of a shortage of
musicians and infrequent performances have created a condition
where orchestras had to "borrow" each other's musicians.

"It's true, we can't guarantee that a musician will receive a
regular income so we can't stop them from playing with another
orchestra," Addie lamented, adding that it gets annoying when
orchestras have to rehearse at the same time.

That is why, Addie said, any effort to create an orchestra
with its own permanent musicians should be supported.

"I take my hat off to any efforts to make this materialize
because I know from my 11 years of being here (the orchestra
scene in Indonesia) it is not a simple feat. We should be
grateful that someone is willing to try it, and we should support
the effort," he said.

The concert on Dec. 16 will also present the Twilite Chorus,
the Indonesian Children's Choir (PSAI), soprano Linda Sitinjak,
and tenor Christopher Abimanyu.

They will perform a diverse variety of songs such as pop
songs, movie and Broadway musical pieces, as well as classical
pieces, including I Have a Dream, The Prayer, Somewhere in My
Memory, You'll Never Walk Alone, Think of Me, Love Changers
Everything, Die Fledermaus, and Farandole.

--Sajian Apresiasi Bank Danamon will perform on Dec. 16, 2002,
at 7 p.m. at Gran Melia Hotel, South Jakarta.