TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Live music shows to delight BRT passengers

Students of music schools and talented street musicians will make your commute more lively, at least once a month, with the Transjakarta bus rapid transit (BRT) operator planning to invite them to give live music performances at selected shelters

Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, January 24, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Live music shows to delight BRT passengers

S

tudents of music schools and talented street musicians will make your commute more lively, at least once a month, with the Transjakarta bus rapid transit (BRT) operator planning to invite them to give live music performances at selected shelters.

The company said it was looking into a suggestion from acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono that such performances be held once a week.

“We will consider whether the suggestion is doable,” Transjakarta CEO Budi Kaliwono told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The first musical performance, dubbed the “Jakarta Symphony”, was held at Harmoni bus shelter in Central Jakarta on Saturday, featuring six music school students from Community Music Center (CMC) who played string instruments for two hours to the delight of passengers.

“We don’t just want to entertain passengers but we also want to give an opportunity to young talented musicians to perform and show their musical skills in public,” Budi said.

Harmoni shelter was chosen as the first location for the inaugural performance as it is the largest and the most crowded shelter in the city with up to 72,000 passengers per day.

In the near future, the music show is expected to be held in 10 shelters in Jakarta. Among them are ones in the Ragunan area in South Jakarta and in Taman Impian Jaya Ancol amusement park in North Jakarta, which are usually crowded on the weekends.

According to Budi, several music schools have voiced their interest in taking part to showcase their students’ talent either as guitarists or bands specializing in genres ranging from classic to pop.

The show’s duration is around two hours and the performers will get a special card designed specifically for them stating their name, in addition to payment. “There is money in that card, not much, just a token of appreciation,” Budi said, declining to disclose the amount.

“One day, when all of them have become successful musicians they can take a look at the card and remember that they once participated in the show.”

Transjakarta spokesperson Widodo said the company had a team to select people to perform in the shelters.

He ensured that people would be considered for show participation as long as they were able to play music and were brave enough to give their best in front of the passengers.

“If there is a lot of enthusiasm, we might involve music experts [in the selection process],” Widodo said.

Sumarsono said on Saturday that street singers would have the chance to participate as well.

Street musicians who dress properly and are able to entertain Transjakarta passengers are invited to register.

Other than providing live music, Transjakarta also plans to improve its service by providing bathrooms in the shelters.

Moreover, the company also aims to build the longest bus shelter in Cawang Uki, East Jakarta, which will be a transit area for passengers from Bogor and Bekasi.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.