Page 41 - Inzist Special Edition

TWO HEARTS

I N O N E H A R M O N Y

In my first months in New Zealand I discovered that
Indonesian and Iwi, name referred to
indigenous people of Maori are culturally similar.
Coming from the same group of Austronesian, we
live the same culture.

Speaking about music, we both love songs that
speak about love,
nature, respect to the elders and praise to Lord
encapsulated in simple and Polynesian melody.
Having long and vivid background in music, I came up
with an idea of making a concert that
promotes the music commonality. The idea of
Symphony of Friendship was born.

On the 9th November 2018, the Opera House in
Wellington witnessed one of the most
remarkable concerts in the Capital, where
collaborated action of top Indonesian and New
Zealand singers were accompanied by the beautiful
harmony produced by Wellington Orchestra
conducted by well-known Indonesian conductor,
Erwin Gutawa. In front of fully seated
spectators, which includes the New Zealand
Ministers, Speaker of the House of the two
countries, Members of Parliament, Diplomatic Corps,
academia and general public, the
Symphony of Friendship presented a musical
collaboration taken from the beautiful culture of
Maori and Indonesia. The friendship concert
featuring singers from eastern Indonesia and the
Maori showed the similarity of music and art of both
cultures.

Several months after the concert was performed,
the thrill which the concert created still
lingered in the heart of Wellingtonians. During the
opening remark, Speaker of the House of
Indonesia as well as New Zealand recognised this
spectacular concert as a form of friendship
and cultural ties.