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Papua wins gold medal in choir Olympiad
Papua recorded a historical performance in an international event Sunday when its choir Wakhum Bhim won a gold medal at the world choir Olympiad in Graz, Austria
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Papua recorded a historical performance in an international event Sunday when its choir Wakhum Bhim won a gold medal at the world choir Olympiad in Graz, Austria.
"It's a prestigious achievement in such an international event," the choir's official team leader Ronald Tapilatu told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The country's resources-rich easternmost province, which last saw such an international gold at the 12th Physics Olympiad in Poland in April 2004, took first in the folk songs category.
Ronald said further that the Papuan choir, one of 32 Indonesian teams participating in the international event, performed Papuan folk songs along with six musicians led by conductor Aris Sudibyo. All songs were by composers Amos Samori and Hanock Tanatty.
The choir comprises 38 singers selected from hundreds of youths from various church denominations in Jayapura. The choir rehearsed for eight months before the Olympiad.
With the victory, Roland said, the choir was invited to perform at the opening of the July 23-27 world choral symposium in Copenhagen, Sweden, a traditional music concert in Rijswijk Houten and Friesland in the Netherlands at the end of the month and another music concert in Wuppertal, Germany, early in August.
"We will arrive home August 11 and we will dedicate the prestigious award to Papuan people, government, our families and our sponsors," he said.
