T

/span>There are no harsh words that can knock musician Boby Limijaya down as someone who started learning the piano at 18.

Born in Tangerang on Aug. 13, 1980, Boby was raised in a home where playing music was just another hobby to color life — nothing serious, really.

But when the universe called him during a musical service at a church, he knew that the art of sound would play a significant part in his future. Having been exposed to music since the age of 6, Boby began keyboard lessons at 10.

“Music was my hobby, so I decided to learn about it. I chose the keyboard because it was probably the most affordable music instrument, instead of a pricey piano or drum set,” Bobby told The Jakarta Post prior to his R.E.M cover gig at @america in Jakarta recently.

“I actually had an interest in piano, guitar and drums, but my parents thought that I was just playing around,” added the musician who has performed in Java Jazz Festival in 2005, 2006 and 2012 as well as JakJazz Festival in 2006.

After graduating high school in 1998, Boby proposed to his parents that he took music major at university. His parents refused his request, as they were not sure about Boby’s commitment.

As such, Boby enrolled on computer science at Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta.

To show his seriousness to learn music, Boby started piano lessons when he was 18, eventually quitting his course at Bina Nusantara in 2000 to take classical piano at Pelita Harapan University (UPH).

“Initially, my decision to change to music was an issue for my parents. When they found out that I worked really hard to master the piano, especially starting at such a late age, they approved of it,” he said, adding that during the tough years he used to spend seven hours per day learning piano.

In a grateful gesture, Boby said that he might not have reached this level without the support and trust of his teachers such as composers Otto Sidharta, Haryo Yose Suyoto, Adi Darmawan, Glen Dauna, Andi Wiriantono as well as Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) lecturer Endang Kusumaningsih.

“Those musicians have changed my way of thinking. They have shaped me into who I am now — I’m really, really thankful for that,” he added.

Despite being a classical piano student at UPH, Boby passed the audition test to enroll at Berklee School of Music in Boston, US, on scholarship in 2000.

“I took the test in Malaysia. But again, my parents thought that I should had a strong base in the country before studying overseas,” he said.

During his four-year time of studying music at UPH, Boby was like a sponge that absorbed anything to do with his major. He was also challenged by people who looked down on his skill in playing piano.

“I’ve been through those rough and tough years, I’ve been affected by words but I decided to not to give a care about them. Starting the piano lesson at 18 means that my hands were stiff — it was really a hard time,” Boby added that because of his age he had been told to drop piano. He never gave up.

“But my great teachers, as I mentioned earlier, gave me their endless support. They encouraged me to have an open mind during my years in UPH and to learn from my seniors by hearing what they were talking about,” he continued.

“I was taught to soak up as much knowledge from my seniors, and I joined several good communities to learn many things from them,” shared Boby, adding that Adi had once called Boby his “craziest” student as Boby gulped several subjects in one session.

Graduating from UPH in 2004, Boby carried on developing his career by playing in shows, including being the keyboardist for Indonesian young jazz singer, Andien, in 2004 to 2006.

“Lucky me, in early 2008 my delayed dream to studying at Berklee became reality. I passed another live audition test in Japan to start in spring in 2008. While in Boston, I studied jazz performance until summer of 2010,” said the father of Revelation, 3, and Bradford, 10 months.

He said he initially also took piano performance major in Berklee but had to drop it due to financial issues.

“I now have a jazz composition diploma from Berklee and I am also the recipient of the prestigious 2009’s Herb Pomeroy Award from the school for my outstanding jazz composition,” said the proud musician who beat about 1,000 students in his class to receive the award worth US$2,000.

Looking to the future, Boby said that his next target was to build a bigger name for the Boby Limijaya Orchestra

He is currently recording his album in Budapest and is scheduled to release it early next year.

 — Photos courtesy of Boby Limijaya