Under the direction of Henrik Hochschild, associate concertmaster at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the orchestra played works by Mendelssohn, Weber, Bruch and Beethoven. The concert features clarinet soloist Nino Ario Wijaya and viola soloist Noah Joseph Wimandjaja.

The program consisted of: The Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy; Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra in E Flat Major, Op. 26 by Carl Maria von Weber performed by clarinet soloist Nino Ario Wijaya; Romance for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85 by Max Brunch performed by viola soloist Noah Joseph Wimandjaja and Symphony No.6 and Pastorale by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The concert, which was held at the Usmar Ismail Hall, was made livelier with the attendance of 30 students from the Secondary School of Music from Cibinong. The Amadeus Symphony Orchestra Foundation also received congratulations from prolific guests, such as musician Kevin Aprilio, Jakarta Concert Orchestra founder Avip Priatna and renowned scholar Franz Magnis-Suseno.

The Amadeus Symphony Orchestra foundation has an impressive track record in developing classical music education in Indonesia. Back in 1992, Grace Soedargo founded the Amadeus Music School (SMA) with the support of the foundation. Since then, the SMA has trained thousands of students of various ages from as young as age two.

Now, it has over 200 disciples in piano, strings, wind and percussion instruments. With a team of 25 teachers, the SMA continues to teach classical music in the classroom as well as student orchestras and its ensembles. In the “Seaside to Countryside” concert for example, Grace played an instrument together with other teachers and students —the youngest being eleven.

“Early music education is important for children due to its holistic nature; it promotes the development of intellectual, emotional and motor skills while also instilling discipline, self-control and teamwork abilities,” said Grace.

“Being a music teacher is actually more challenging in that we need to master the skills handed down from generation to generation in their areas of origin. For example, we need to follow European traditions in classical music and Indonesian traditions when we teach ethnic music,” she added.

The SMA is the only music school in Southeast Asia to be affiliated with the Johann Sebastian Bach Musikschule (JBSM) in Vienna, Austria. Viola Soloist Noah Joseph Wimandjaja, for example, is the first Indonesian to be accepted into the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in the JBSM gifted class.

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