As the opening act of the cultural performance segment of Korea Festival in ASEAN in Indonesia, the Seoul Chamber Society succeeded in cooling the tensions of people living in Jakarta who made it through the capital's horrendous traffic for a recent performance.

The ensemble soulfully performed 11 classical music pieces from world-renowned composers at Usmar Ismail Hall in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The first piece performed was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370, which the Seoul Chamber Society arranged for the oboe, violin, viola and cello.

The group also performed the Waltz (Serenade for Strings) composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Serenade for Strings has remained one of the Russian master's most popular works.

The heart-wrenching sound that echoed in the hall sent shivers down the spine of the audience as the piece emphasized the lush chords of the string instruments.

The Seoul Chamber Society did not only play slow pieces, shifting tempo with an arrangement of the Trumpet Concerto in D major by Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Torelli.

The 15-piece ensemble performed profoundly when they played 'I Believe', from the soundtrack of 'My Sassy Girl', the famous South Korean romantic comedy based on a true story written by Kin Hyungsuk.

Meanwhile, in the background, a huge screen displaying scenes from the movie brought a more Korean ambience into the hall.

The Seoul Chamber Society was established in 2009. Based in Seoul, it comprises 30 members who pursue parallel careers as international soloists, as members of other prominent chamber groups, and as music professors or tutors.

Using strings, wind, brass and percussion instruments, the ensemble played a repertoire ranging from the baroque to the contemporary.

The Korea Festival in ASEAN in Indonesia was held in Jakarta and several other cities. Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java, and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta are currently organizing distance learning programs with universities in South Korea as part of the festival's sharing talent program.

In addition, there will also be Korean speech contest at the University of Indonesia (UI) from June 24 to 27 and exhibition of contemporary Korean print works at the National Museum from July 5 to 12.

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