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akartans have been spoiled for choice with a multitude of recent music festivals featuring both local and international musicians.

Jaw-dropping ticket prices fail to dissuade the most dedicated fans. Those who do not have deep pockets will even save their money for months to secure tickets for upcoming performances.

However, while catchy and popular musical genres such as rock, pop or jazz have huge demands and yield high profits, classical music still strives to exist in the country. It has been a hard path for them, but classical musicians do not just sit back, waiting for their high-quality skill to be recognized. They make an effort to get their music heard.

Conductor and composer Addie MS of Twilite Orchestra realizes that he has to go the extra mile if he wants his orchestra to stay alive in the classical music world.

“Symphony orchestras may have full of audiences, but they often record financial losses. A symphony needs at least 60 people, which is equal to 12 music bands. We also need a building to rehearse and it’s expensive,” he told The Jakarta Post.

After establishing the Twilite Orchestra in 1991, the first thing that came across Addie’s mind was getting the attention from the government. Addie said he often made efforts to approach ministries and high officials to talk about the possibility of developing Jakarta as a cultural city — but to no avail.

“I got nothing. They all stated their support, but there was no real action,” he said.

He said he grew bored trying to approach the government, but the bloody riots in 1998 in the capital city and other areas prompted Addie to decide to promote symphony orchestras in schools
and university campuses.

“The riots showed that there is no sensitivity. Everything went wild. I believe that high quality, elegant music can soften the wildness,” Addie said.

The turning point was in 1999, when he brought 11 string ensemble players together in a group called Twilite-Wien String Ensemble (TWSE) to play in Al Azhar elementary schools through a program sponsored by Cafe Wien.

The string ensemble performed popular classical compositions such as “Minuet” by Boccherini and “Canon in D” by Pachelbel in addition to popular children’s songs like “Diobok-obok” by Papa T. Bob. The response was heartwarming.

The program expanded to other schools including Santa Theresia elementary schools and Tarakanita elementary school. Addie and the Twilite Orchestra later cooperated with PT HM Sampoerna and singer Sherina Munaf to hold four concerts that attracted 20,000 young audience members.

“I was so touched when I returned to a Theresia school seven years after the performance and they showed me some old pictures of my first visit to the school. There was a kid holding a big contrabass and they told me the kid had become a contrabass player,” he said.

Addie later established the Twilite Youth Orchestra in 2004 to develop an educational program for youngsters.

To date, the government has not shown any real support for classical music or the orchestra. Addie said he regretted that orchestra performances have to pay the same amount of tax as other musical performances. He said the Twilite Orchestra can survive for over 20 years with the support of businessman Indra Usmansjah Bakrie.

German-born violinist Iskandar Widjaja also expressed his concerns over the lack of attention paid to classical music by the Indonesian government. Iskandar has held a number of master classes in Titan Center, Pelita Harapan University and the Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta during his visits to the country.

“I found many young people playing violin at a very high level. The thing that is missing, though, is the support from the state to really support these youngsters’ development and to prevent them from getting stuck at a certain level of talent. Frankly speaking, they need financial support,” he said.

He said he was lucky to be brought up in Germany, where there was amazing support for young people in the arts. The system, he said, enabled him and other children to study music at universities under the guidance of professors. At the age of 11, Iskandar attended the College of Music in Berlin.

“We all practiced together in the afternoon, and things like this don’t yet exist in Indonesia. I hope this will change because there is so much talent. Yet, they [children here] need support,” he said.

Meanwhile, classical guitarist Francisco Arief, 25, said there are not enough competitions in the country, so he has to challenge himself with international competitions in other countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Italy.

“Competitions abroad offer large prizes, which attract international guitarists who can inspire us,” said the winner of the special prize category at the Singapore International Guitar competition in 2007.