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Semarang Open Violin Competition attracts participants from outside the city
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Illustration of people playing violin. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he city of Semarang in Central Java recently hosted a two-day event dubbed the 3rd Semarang Open Violin Competition on Sept. 2-3.
Up to 90 percent of the competition’s participants reportedly hailed from outside the city, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Bogor, Cirebon, Pekanbaru, Bintan and Batam.
The event also attracted many foreign visitors, especially expats who love classical music.
“There has been a sharp increase in the number of foreign tourists from Europe and United States. They love classical music and the city itself as it is home to the Old Town that adopts Dutch architectural design, the perfect atmosphere for classical music,” said Tourism Ministry’s Communication Department special staff Don Kardono.
Semarang Deputy Mayor Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu said that Semarang's Old Town or also known as Little Netherlands is the best place to perform classical music.
Read also: The return of Semarang’s Old Town
“Two weeks ago there was a piano competition in Semarang, and now a violin competition. I suggested these two events to be merged into one where they will compete for the Semarang Mayor Trophy,” said Hevearita.
The winner of the adult category in the competition would be given the opportunity to do a solo performance at Jakarta Sinfonietta Orchestra and take home a prestigious violin from Jerome Thibouville Lamy Workshop in Mirecourt, France, that was made in 1929. He or she would keep the violin for one year before passing it to the winner of next year’s competition.
Meanwhile, during his speech, Don also encouraged the attendees to vote for Wonderful Indonesia short tutorial video at indonesia.travel/vote4id.
“Unlock your smartphone, turn off the Wi-Fi connection and use mobile data instead because one IP address or one email can only vote once […] enter your name, email and choose the Wonderful Indonesia video and click submit,” said Don. (kes)
