TheJakartaPost
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The Gen Alpha of Indonesian classical music thrives
More young people aged below 25 are interested in classical music than those aged above 55, studies have shown.
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Concerted effort: Conductor Addie MS (center) leads the Light Ministry Orchestra (LMO) during a concert in Jakarta on Nov. 19, 2023. The performance was dedicated to children with special needs. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
Many say that Generation Alpha (born around or after 2010) thrives on multitasking, and often does not focus on a single task for an extended period. Whether it is true or not, the fact is that "long, boring and stale" classical music, is having a comeback with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Perhaps not in actively playing it, but according to recent studies, 74 percent of European residents aged under 25 were likely to be tuning into it this year, either through Spotify, YouTube or even the (classical music) radio, in their cars, compared with a mere 46 percent of people aged 55 or older, who, according to popular beliefs, are the ones who "adore classical music".
What is meant by "classical" is in fact "written music", not "dead composers' music", so John Williams, Magnus Lindberg or myself are included.
As an active composer and musician, I have also sensed – although still not scientifically proven – this interest in Indonesia, not only in big cities such as Jakarta or Surabaya in East Java, but also in places far away.
Recently I attended the Payakumbuh Poetry Festival in West Sumatra, and I was surprised how many young people came to my performance and talk show, having known and listened to my music and classical music in general. And the population of Payakumbuh, a small town located 1,260 kilometers from Jakarta, is only about 140,000!
For sure social media has played a huge part in this. Being a Gen X, I do have some social media accounts and I feel that I haven't really exploited them to promote my music to the fullest. Fortunately, many fans or performers of my music share it on their own accounts, which sometimes have (many) more followers than mine.
