Swara Sonora Trio

Welcome to the Spoon River Anthology Project!

2010-09-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is my first post to the Swara Sonora blog, and I'm very excited to report on the status of the Spoon River Anthology Song Cycle Project. We've so far raised $315 of individual contributions towards the $1,000 goal that will establish our eligibility to apply for grants through the fiscal sponsorship of the artist service organization Fractured Atlas. We're well on the way, but we only have til October 1, so let's keep the momentum going! I'm really excited about writing this song cycle for Kathryn, Nathan and Aryo, and I know they are eagerly looking forward to it as well.

So, many of you out there may be wondering, what is Spoon River Anthology? It was a collection of poems, published in 1915 and all written by a poet named Edgar Lee Masters. It took the form of a series of poetic monologues, each spoken by a different resident of the mythical town of Spoon River, Illinois. The twist is that all the characters in this collection are deceased. So they are speaking to us from beyond the grave, as it were, and talking about their own lives, the events they witnessed and participated in, the joys and misfortunes that befell them, and the things they discovered about life, about themselves, and about their community. Although Spoon River was a fictional construct, the town and many of its characters were based closely on people the poet knew or knew of growing up in Lewistown and Petersburg, Illinois in the 1880s and 1890s. There is an actual river in that area of Illinois called the Spoon river, and many of the neighboring towns are mentioned in the poems.

The collection opens with a Prologue, where the poet wanders through the town's graveyard, asking:

Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley,
The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?
......
Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith,
The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?

All, all are sleeping on the hill...

The poems that follow run the gamut, by turns wistful, nostalgic, regretful, sardonic, spiritual, earthy, or comic. They detail just about every facet of human experience imaginable, speaking eloquently but without affectation about love, loss, hope, disappointment, sex, politics, religion, and the quest for self-fulfillment. Masters was equally critical of the narrow-mindedness of small-town culture and of the soullessness and corruption of the increasing industrialization and urbanization of America. There are poems where Masters ridiculed the hypocrisy and backwardness of American social and spiritual mores ('Mrs. Charles Bliss', 'Rev. Lemuel Wiley' 'Sarah Brown', 'Deacon Taylor'), raged against the evils of war and militarism ('Harry Wilmans', 'Knowlt Hoheimer') and revealed the devastation wrought by the avarice and unscrupulousness of the industrial/financial sector ('Mrs. George Reece', 'Eugene Carman' 'John M, Church'). Any of this sound familiar to some of the events of the past 5 and 10 years?

In the face of such evils, however, Masters created characters who managed to find peace, love and joy through it all, by opening mind and heart to the beauty of the world around them, to the freedom of the soul and the heart, to artistic and spiritual expression, to a primeval connection with the natural world, and a self-reliance and independence of spirit that Masters traced back to a Jeffersonian ideal of American character and to the example of pioneer ancestors. the ultimate philosophy and optimism of the Anthology is perhaps best expressed by 'Lucinda Matlock', which Masters based on his own grandmother, and the final line of which Thornton Wilder quoted in his seminal play 'Our Town' :

I WENT to the dances at Chandlerville,
And played snap-out at Winchester.
One time we changed partners,
Driving home in the moonlight of middle June,
And then I found Davis.
We were married and lived together for seventy years,
Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children,
Eight of whom we lost
Ere I had reached the age of sixty.
I spun, I wove, I kept the house,
I nursed the sick, I made the garden, and for holiday
Rambled over the fields where sang the larks,
And by Spoon River gathering many a shell,
And many a flower and medicinal weed--
Shouting to the wooded hills, singing to the green valleys.
At ninety-six I had lived enough, that is all,
And passed to a sweet repose.
What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness,
Anger, discontent and drooping hopes?
Degenerate sons and daughters,
Life is too strong for you--
It takes life to love Life.

Exciting New Project!

2010-09-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings all Swara Sonora fans and followers! We are trying to help raise $1,000 for the Spoon River Anthology Project, a collaboration between Swara Sonora Trio, composer Joshua Saulle and filmmaker Alex Winter. Your contribution will not only support the realization of this project, but will also help us qualify to apply for further grants and sponsorships. Any amount is appreciated. The Spoon River Anthology Project is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions on behalf of Spoon River Anthology Project may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. You can find more information or make a contribution by clicking here.

Also, stay tuned for more information about the project!!

Contest Winner!

2009-08-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

By my count, we had 99 comments on our blog while we were on tour! Wow! Thank you all so much for your support! Now, on to the winner:

The random number between 1 and 99 is:
Congratulations to Joel! Your are the lucky winner of some authentic Indonesian Loot! Here is the lucky winning comment, posted on August 20th:

" Joel said...

Business class from Hong Kong to LA? That is sweet.

August 20, 2009 7:50 AM"

But that's not all, we have a runner-up:

Congratulations to Tim! You are the runner-up with this comment posted on August 9th:

" Tim said...

Aryo- a TV personality. Who would have guessed? Next stop the Today Show in NYC.

August 9, 2009 9:19 PM"

Stayed tuned to see what the prizes are, and the winners can look for their loot in the mail, or in Tim's case, personal delivery! Thank you all again for supporting us and following our blog!

PARADISE FM Interview went GLOBAL....

2009-08-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

The initial Swara Sonora Trio Paradise-FM (RRI-Bali Station) interview with Ibu Helena Keith was re-broadcasted throughout the world on Voice of Indonesia (VOI) Radio Network on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, at 6 PM. We are grateful to hear that!

In addition, Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC will also re-broadcast this same one-hour interview again in the next few weeks. The staff in DC is still waiting the interview CD from Kathryn back in Tucson.

Keep reading the blog, and giving comments.... More to come later, including UNICEF East Java Field Visit this coming week.....

Surabaya Symphony Orchestra Pictures: Solomon Tong and Donors

2009-08-22T23:40:00.001-07:00

With SSO students, orchestra members, soloists, and organizers

With two wonderful SSO Donors and a wonderful Chinese Folk-Song soprano

With SSO Conductor, Maestro Solomon Tong, and his wife, pianist Mrs. Karlina Magawe-Tong

Here's some more pictures from our last concert in Surabaya, Indonesia, with Surabaya Symphony Orchestra on August 18, 2009. Please enjoy!! And keep giving comments to the blog... Remember, the result of the blog winner will be posted tonight! Thank you all for the support and prayers!

Visit our 100 Friends page to see our final days for UNICEF Indonesia Fund-Raising!!

Regular 100 Friends: http://www.swarasonora.com/hundredfriends.html

100 Indonesian Friends (especially for Indonesians living abroad in the USA):

http://www.swarasonora.com/indonesianfriends.html

Home! (and contest info).

2009-08-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is just a note to let you all know that Kathryn and I made it home safely yesterday morning. Cathay Pacific provided us with a hotel room in LA, and we were on the first flight to Tucson in the morning.

This evening (Arizona time), I will use a random number generator to select a winner for our blog contest. I'll give you all the rest of the day to post your last comments!

Ibu Erni sent us these photos taken at the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra Gala Concert. Enjoy!

Waiting in Hong Kong

2009-08-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Hong Kong! Due to a small delay (which included a catering malfunction), Kathryn and I are relaxing in the business class lounge. We will also enjoy the upgrade to LA.

Don't forget that every comment enters you into our blog contest! You have until Saturday!

---Post From Kat''s iPhone

Final moments of tour

2009-08-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

This morning in Surabaya we said our goodbyes and officially concluded the Peace Tour. Swara Sonora will be reunited in Tucson in a couple weeks, and we are thinking about planning a small concert and presentation about our travels for sometime in September or October. Until then, though, we all have some catching up to do on sleep and all the other aspects of our lives!

-- Post From My iPhone

DONE for this year... but UNICEF till Sept 2nd

2009-08-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Dear all blog readers, supporters, friends, patrons, donors, and all music lovers:

Thank you so so so very very much for all your support, wishes, and prayers. Finally we are done with the tour, and we've ended it successfully. Lots of great memories, great new friends, great pianos and hall to perform, and ..... of course lots of peace and love between different countries (not just US and Indonesia, but Argentina, Singapore, Malaysia, Great Britain, etc.).

While we are done with the tour, Swara Sonora Trio is going to hand out the final amount collected for UNICEF Indonesia - for their immunization and child healthcare - on September 2nd, 2009. So, there is still time to donate for this cause.

Especially, for those who lives abroad... Indonesians who live in the United States, Europe, Japan, Singapore, or Hong Kong.

Thank you for all 100 FRIENDS AND 100 INDONESIAN FRIENDS. The number for 100 Indonesian Friends have doubled in Indonesia. THANK YOU!!

Especially thanks to Dedi Panigoro for his generous donation in Jakarta concert!

So, hopefully we can finally reach the true 100 Friends in the US, and also more for 100 Indonesian Friends.

To find out how to donate, please visit this website and you can donate online using your credit card or debit card. AND, it will be fully tax-deductible as well:
http://www.swarasonora.com/hundredfriends.html

We have raised $ 1,500 from our initial donation, and an additional $ 600 to 700 from Jakarta Concert. Hopefully we will raise a total of $ 3,000 from our entire tour. So let's work together and support our future, children of the world!

Swara Sonora Trio

Homeward bound

2009-08-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

Tomorow morning Nathan and I begin our long day of travel home. Aryo will stay in Indonesia for another couple weeks to visit family and friends. Swara Sonora's Peace Tour is officially over after a great master class today at the Surabaya Symphony, an a lovely dinner with conductor Bapak Tong, Ibu Tong, an their children.

It's been an amazing three weeks, and we've met and worked with wonderful people. We will miss many things about Indonesia. Stay tuned for some post-mortem blogs with additional photos, and there are still two days to comment before we randomly select the winner of our Blog Comment Contest!

Thanks for all your comments, messages, and support.

--Swara Sonora

-- Post From My iPhone

Kebaya journey home

2009-08-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

To those of you who have expressed concern about how I will get all four of my beautiful new kebaya home, I offer the following reassurances:

1. as you can see from the photo below, they fold quite nicely and fit into the ubiquitous plastic sleeves into which all textiles are placed at shops and tailors here

2. I bought a second suitcase. Aryo's parent took me shopping a couple days ago and we were lucky to hit the Independence Day sales at the Matahari department store, where I got a nice Polo (but not Ralph Lauren Polo!) suitcase at 50% off for only 250,000 rupiahs!

So never fear, they will arrive home safely, and I'll have a fashion show back in Tucson sometime.

--Kathryn

-- Post From My iPhone

Photos From Our Final Concert!

2009-08-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the photos from our last concert of our Peace Tour. We were guests of the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra and their conductor Bapak Solomon Tong. It was a gala affair with a huge crowd gathered to celebrate Independence Day here in Indonesia (August 17th).

Swara Sonora with composer Ananda Sukarlan and UNICEF Indonesia's Agnes Savitri
Aryo with his Parents
Swara Sonora in a becak!

MEETING WITH ANANDA SUKARLAN - composer

2009-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yes!!! Finally, we, Swara Sonora Trio, were able to meet Maestro Ananda Sukarlan himself. He is the one who wrote "Love and Variations" piece for us. He was so kind and generous to go directly a day after his Opera premiere in Jogjakarta to Surabaya.

He took the late afternoon flight to Surabaya, went straight to the ShangRi-La Balroom Hotel from the airport and was able to attend our performance. He was very nice, courteous, and complimentary. We took pictures with him too, and also with Surabaya UNICEF Representative, Ibu Agnes!

Fun day / debut concert in Surabaya: sold out hall (all 1,200 of the ShangRi-La Balroom seats were filled), good music making, fun new friends, and then meeting Maestro Sukarlan.

Pics to follow soon!!

And don't forget to see Kathryn's latest, and last gown..... (the pics).

Last Day in Bali

2009-08-16T20:58:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from our last day in Bali:

First we went to see a performance of the Barong Dance:

I especially loved the Balinese Gamelan orchestra!

Next we visited the Garuda Wisnu Kencana park, which was amazing! The park is a huge rock quarry, where they plan to build an enormous statue of Wisnu (Vishnu) riding Garuda (a bird). The park has a huge amphitheater and features parts of the statue that have been finished thus far.

It was located high up on a hill, which provided great views of the beaches below. After a wonderful lunch, we bid farewell to our wonderful hosts, and flew back to Java.

Tomorrow we have our last performance!

Bali Fun day

2009-08-16T09:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Ibu Lily of the Rotary Club Bali Taman entertained us in high style. It was the one vacation day of our 22-day Peace Tour, and Bali was not a bad place to spend it! After a lazy morning we headed to Ubud where we had a leisurely and delicious lunch at a resort owned by another Rotarian. Then we saw the town and palace (what a beautiful place Ubud is with hills, rice paddies, and shrines everywhere) before heading to the beach for an incredible grilled seafood farewell dinner with a bunch of the Rotarians.

We were sad to leave Bali, but now that we're settled into our hotel in Surabaya we finally have time to catch up on the blog and post some photos from our time in Bali. But first, some sleep!

Swara Sonora in the hills of Ubud

-- Post From My iPhone

Julia Roberts.... oh Bali.....

2009-08-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

Dear all:

We are so sad that we have to leave the Paradise..... leaving the beautiful Bali with all of the great Rotary Club Bali Taman 3400 organizers. We had a great time, thank you for all the music making, great hospitality, great dinner, showing around (personal tours, etc.).

Thanks for Yamaha Bali (personally, from me) for giving such a wonderful, well-tuned and well-voiced piano for the concert. I rarely say about good pianos on tour, but they were great!!

What else.... oh yeah.... Apparently we were visiting places and hotels (even stayed at one - pro bono) where Ms. Julia Roberts will come in November to Bali to shoot her new film (based on a book.... that Kathryn is reading now...... Eat-Pray-Love ?? ...).

Hahah... we beat Ms. Roberts by a few months ;-) Sanur, Ubud, etc. etc.
Thanks to two hotels that I truly recommend for honeymoon and private secluded vacation.

Blue Fin Villas: http://www.bluefinvillas.com/
And
The Payogan Villa in Ubud: http://www.balipayoganresort.com/

Great hosts, great food, great hospitality...... and if you want to trace Julia Roberts' steps for her latest movie :-)

We joked that Kathryn should've stayed a few months later so that when J.R. is indisposed, she could've stepped in ;-)

Greetings from Surabaya!! It was fun times at Paradise... but alas we have to get back to the real world. But we'll have lots of fun in Surabaya, performing AND teaching!! Pictures will come soon tonight!

PARADISE FM Interview on Thursday: live broadcast

2009-08-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

With the entire RRI-Bali staff and Rotary Bali Taman 3400 Ladies after the interview

Intense interview with Ibu Helena Keith, from Paradise FM (RRI-Bali)

Another interview picture....

Post-interview picture, with RRI-Bali Banner in their studio.

Swara Sonora Trio went to the RRI / Paradise FM studio on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 to do a live interview at the radio station. Paradise FM is the only round-the-clock English Language radio station in Bali. We were interviewed for an hour, from 5 PM to 6 PM.

Helena K. Keith, the interviewer, was the most consummate personality. She made us at ease and the entire interview was just fun! It was recorded and will be re-broadcasted in the VOA (Voice of America) network immediately.... so it won't be just the entire Bali island, but also throughout the world (I hope).

Three of our song selections / recording from July 19th concert were broadcasted in between questions (which was fun, and thanks to St. Andrews Bach Society for the recording) and then we got several incoming phone calls from listeners asking questions.

Fun productive times!! Please see all the pictures above....

Thank you PARADISE FM!! Thank you Ibu Helena K. Keith! We were honored and grateful to be given this opportunity!

Swara Sonora: Rotary Club 3400 ENDS POLIO!!

2009-08-14T16:02:00.001-07:00

Yep, the concert was a success!! Thank God, we're really grateful.

I was surprised to see the entire 500 ballroom audience were present.... including the VIP tickets (which is not cheap). We were glad to be able to help Rotary International to raise funds to eradicate polio worldwide. Some of the audience members actually donated even more towards this cause last night.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation challenged Rotary Club International to raise funds up to $ 100 Million USD to eradicate polio. Then he will match that with a $ 350 million when the goal is reached. So hopefully last night's concert help towards that goal. Rotary International asks all Rotary Club worldwide to donate $ 1,000 (a minimum) each year to reach that goal for the next 3 years. I think last night we've passed that amount easily.

Fun concert: it was even recorded and broadcasted by the BALI TV. At the end we were interviewed by lovely Ibu Joyce, the Master of Ceremony who is also a well-known TV personality in Bali. We'll post this interview (along with my earlier METRO-TV interview) on youtube too!!!

This time, all THREE of us were interviewed immediately following tonight's performance.

Success in Bali!

2009-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

We just gave a wonderful concert, followed by an elegant dinner. More

details later, but enjoy this photo. Tomorrow is our fun day in Bali!
-- Post From My iPhone

Rotary hosts

2009-08-13T21:23:00.001-07:00

Here's a photo we just took with some of our wonderful hosts here in Bali, members of the local Rotary Club - Ibu Noor, Ibu Lilly,Ibu Asia, and Ibu Ting!

-- Post From My iPhone

Preparations for our Bali concert

2009-08-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

Today we are resting and rehearsing for our big concert this evening at the Sanur Beach Hotel.
Our concert is hosted by the Rotary Club of Bali Taman, and the lovely ladies of the Rotary are providing us a fabulous Balinese experience.

We just had a great warmup and are looking forward to the concert tonight. More photos later!

-- Post From My iPhone

Bali!

2009-08-12T21:19:00.001-07:00

We made it to Bali and are being treated very well by our hosts! More to come!

-- Post From My iPhone

Press conference

2009-08-12T21:16:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful press conference yesterday in Surabaya. Aryo talked with the media and Maestro Solomon Tong gave us a great introduction. We also got to meet some of the other performers. We can't wait to come back for the concert!

Aryo talking with the press.

-- Post From My iPhone

Day 13, or press conferences and tropical islands

2009-08-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Surabaya! Our early flight reached its destination without incident, and now we are a press conference and another short flight away fron Bali!

Kat and her tropical fruit plate.

-- Post From My iPhone

Day 12, or Master Class and Spending Millions

2009-08-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

Today we all gave master classes at ISI to some very talented students. Aryo taught twenty pianists, while Nathan and I split up working with the singers. We all enjoyed working with the students and appreciated their enthusiasm. It was fun spending the day at ISI -- thank you tothe faculty and staff for organzing the master classes, our concert, and our stay here in Jogja!

With some of the wonderful faculty and staff at ISI

After Nathan and I finished our classes, we left Aryo to teach the day away while we hit the streets of Jogja and, with Ibu Erni's help, shopped 'till we dropped. We each spent over 1 million rupiah, and finished the day with many beautiful things to remember Indonesia by.

We're sad to leave Jogja, but we're excited to get to the beautiful island of Bali tomorrow night, after a brief stop in Surabaya for a press conference hosted by the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra.

Day 11, or Concert nomer loro

2009-08-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Our performance last night in the Institut Seni Indonesia's was the first recital in their lovely new concert hall, which was just opened four months ago. It was exciting because we had an enthusiastic MC who announced us with flair, like rock stars, and the packed audience included many young musicians and university students. We did two encores!
Our hosts at ISI were professional, gracious, and made us feel welcomed here in Jogjakarta. We also got to try out our second set of batik outfits, which Aryo's had made especially for us by her tailor back home in Surabaya. We hope to return to Jogja for a longer period of time to perform again, teach, and collaborate with students and teachers at ISI.Nathan and Kathryn with ISI Dean Prof. Bramantyo

The banner at the entrance to ISI's campus

Day 9 and 10, or Beautiful Jogja

2009-08-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we woke up super-early to fly to Jogjakarta, the center of traditional Javanese culture in central Java. As soon as we arrived at the airport we knew this was a special place.

After an afternoon of napping, we went to the Ramayana Ballet at the Hindu Prambanan temple. It was magical to watch the epic story of the Ramayana acted out in dance, with the backdrop of beautiful Prambanan and the full moon behind, and all accompanied by gamelan orchestra. We even got to take photos with the dancers after the performance!

Yesterday morning we set off early to beat the crowds and the heat to Borobudur, a massive Buddhist temple elaborately carved with images of earthly life on the way to enlightenment. The top level of Borobudur is covered with stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. If you can reach in and touch Buddha's hand, the saying is that your wish will come true!

We were both tourists and objects of attention at Borobudur, as many Javanese families and students wanted to have their photos taken with us! We were also interviewed by young students taking an English class, and it was fun to interact with them.

Lest you think that we had only fun and games yesterday, we did go to the beautiful new hall at Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) to practice. The hall has only been open four months, has a great acoustic, and we are honored to be some of the first people performing there. Our hosts at ISI are gracious and are taking good care of us here, making sure we see the sights and eat lots of delicious Javanese food!

We have even more beautiful photos than we have space to post here, so when we return to the U.S. we hope to post additional photos from our journeys.

EXCITED: Jogja Debut TODAY - Wonderful Hall

2009-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Monday, August 10th, 2009, at 7.30 PM, we will be making our Jogja Debut at the newly inaugurated Jogja Conservatory (ISI) Hall. Great hall, wonderful building, with good acoustics, and good piano!!

We had a great rehearsal yesterday afternon. I'll be rehearsing a bit more this morning, just for my own personal practice (fingers won't just run by itself) and then get some rest. Kathryn and Nathan will post more blogs and pictures from yesterday's rehearsal.

Additionally, Kathryn and Nathan visited Prambanan Temple (where they attended Ramayana Traditional Dance performance) and also the famed Borobudur Temple - one of the 7 (or 8)wonders of the world.

We'll keep you posted. Wish us luck today... we're having positive vibes about this and feel very much rested, relaxed, and just inspired. Jogja is such a beautiful, and serene (that's the word.... serene) place for artistic endeavors, practicing, music making, etc.

Tomorrow we will have a separate piano and voice masterclass for the students of Jogjakarta Conservatory ... at 9 AM.

METRO-TV: Morning Talk Show Interview

2009-08-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Dear all:
Since I don't have all the pictures (Kathryn and Nathan are the masters of that), I will put a simpler text version.

This is a late posting of a blog - for last Friday, August 7th, 2009.

On Friday morning, I was picked up at the hotel in Jakarta at 5 AM (just like Ananda's Glass Conservatory Song... " 5 AM.....") by a METRO-TV staff to come and join them for their 7 AM English Language News broadcast. The trip lasted only for 15 minutes because it's early and there was hardly any cars on the street. Sigh, if only Jakarta is like that all the time.

I arrived there, waited at their great green room for 1.5 hours and had some crackers and tea. I met another person who was going to be interviewed in the next morning talk show (in Chinese....). He's a Thai artist / athlete and he was nice. Didn't get to know him further.

Then onwards to the interview. It was fun, in their nice, clean, neat studio. It was about 10 minutes or so (and I had to get up at 5 AM for that, ON THE DAY of the concert debut).
The interview ranged from my musical backgrounds, musical influences, career,
and also the Swara Sonora Trio's beginnings, and also our involvement with UNICEF
Immunization Fund-Raising program.

The interviewer was fun, and warm, and he had a very nice and clean British accent
(he's Indonesian). Additionally, I also mentioned how Swara Sonora Trio met, as a team teaching OMA (Opening Minds through the Arts - http://www.omaprogramaz.org) and also that we loved teaching and integrating music-arts into our activities and to other interdisciplinary program.

I will post this interview clip (after I get a DVD copy from the TV station) on youtube or
facebook. Thank you very much METRO-TV!! You've done great things for the community
throughout SouthEast Asia, in Indonesia, through your great and wide-ranging, and varied programming !

Successful Debut Concert!

2009-08-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

We are happy to report that our debut concert on Friday night was a tremendous success! We had a great turnout and many of our new Indonesian friends came out to see and support us.

Members of the diplomatic community were present, and most importantly, Angela Kearney (above photo), the UNICEF Country Office Representative, gave a wonderful opening speech and showed full support towards our cause.

We came early to warm up at the hall, tried on our beautiful matching blue batik outfits (as you can see on the pics), and then had a snack. Our page turner was wonderful, the UNICEF staff was on hand to set up their booth, and the entire ERASMUS HUIS staff were very supportive.

We were excited to announce that we raised $1,500 (plus all of future proceeds from our concerts here in Indonesia, and the money contributed from our Indonesian 100 Friends!) Check out the cool check banner that Kathryn designed!

We had a fantastic turnout. The audience consisted of our masterclass students, Singaporean and Malaysian diplomatic representatives, music teachers and leading musical figures in Jakarta, and even some people as far away as from Argentina.

We could not celebrate long because we had to get back to the hotel to rest and pack for our 4 AM wake up call. We had to be at the airport for our 6 AM flight to Jogjakarta.

More stories from our first two days in Jogjakarta will follow! Stay tuned to our blog, and keep the comments coming!

Day 7 and 8, or the day before and The Big Day

2009-08-07T00:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we mostly relaxed so that we would be in good shape for our Asian Debut concert tonight. We had a great run-through rehearsal in Ibu Insia's studio at Yayasan Musik Internasional. We are ready!

Then we had a wonderful dinner with Ibu Erni and Ibu Linda, who have been taking wonderful care of us here in Jakarta. We dined at Kembang Goela, an elegant restaurant in Central Jakarta.

It was our first time in the busy, modern center of the city, and we marveled at all the brightly-lit skyscrapers as we cruised (okay, rather crawled) through Jakarta traffic on our way there and back.

This morning Aryo was on Indonesian TV! He was interviewed by Metro TV's "Indonesia This Morning" show and got to talk about our Peace Tour, our collaboration with UNICEF, and the concert details for tonight. Nathan and I were a little jealous that we weren't invited, but we weren't jealous of Aryo's 5:00 a.m. pickup for the long ride across Jakarta before the 7:00 a.m. live broadcast. I woke up just in time to catch the end of Aryo's interview, and he did a great job!

We're about to leave for Erasmus Huis to warm up and get ready in their beautiful facilities. If you're in Jakarta, join us at 7:30 p.m. for what is going to be an exciting and enjoyable program!

Contest rules update

2009-08-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey friends - thanks for all your wonderful comments on our blog. The blog comment contest is off with a bang!

Here are a couple updates to the contest rules:

1. Members of the Swara Sonora Trio are not eligible to win, though they may make comments on the blog (nice try, Nate!).

2. If the winner selected on August 22 resides in Indonesia, we will send said winner a fabulous American prize, as that may be more exciting than a fabulous Indonesian prize.

:)

Keep the comments coming! Remember, the more times you comment, the greater your chances of winning...

Day 6, or Journey to the 'Burbs

2009-08-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we traveled to the edge of Jakarta, to Universitas Pelita Harapan in Karawaci to give a master class there. Our hosts, Ibu Nia and Ibu Reisa, were gracious, and the students were talented and receptive. We wished we could have stayed longer in Karawaci, which is a very beautiful area with lots of restaurants and shops.

The UPH campus is modern and very beautiful. We arrived early, so we ate Singapore-style lunch in the food court, which was open and looked out onto the open-air basketball court. School hasn't started yet at UPH so campus was quiet. We were grateful that so many music students came to school during the final days of their vacation to attend and perform for our master class.

We got lucky with traffic yesterday, too. It was supposed to take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to get to Karawaci, and we made it in about an hour each way. We did have to drive home through Jakarta's rush-hour traffic, which looks kind of pretty after dark.

Today we have a busy afternoon of rehearsing and then dinner with our generous sponsors at Telkom. Then tomorrow is the big day - our Asian debut concert at Erasmus Huis!

More Indonesian Friends!

2009-08-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

With the help of Aryo's mother Erni we've been running a 100 Indonesian Friends campaign parallel to our 100 Friends Campaign back home - the goal is to have 100 friends in Indonesia give 100,000 Rp. each ($10) to support the UNICEF Indonesia Country Office.

Although I won't be able to edit the list on our website until I get back to my computer in Tucson, we've doubled our number of Indonesian Friends since arriving in Jakarta a week ago. We now have 20 Indonesian Friends, and $645 raised. Here are the additions to our list of 100 Indonesian Friends:

Siswo Utomo
Audrey Siswo Utomo
Stenike Siswo Utomo
Aziza Nuraini
Prabowo Trisno Edhie
Narendra Wiku Respati
Rekian Ratri Amara Viti
Linda Yulietta
Ratna Sylvia
Kresna Partogi Hutabarat

Thanks to all! Anyone else in Indonesia interested in helping out can contact Ms. Erni Kolopaking at ekolopaking@yahoo.com.

And our 100 Friends Campaign in the US is still active - you can donate online with your credit card through the 100 Friends page.

Day 5 - the missing photos

2009-08-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here they are! A blog on what we did today is coming tomorrow morning. Now it's time for sleep after another wonderful and full day here in Jakarta.

Nathan signs our Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF Indonesia Country Office
Swara Sonora with Ibu Josephine and Bapak Dike in front of the new UNICEF store

In UNICEF Indonesia's office with staff and Aryo's mother, Erni

Aryo works with a student at Jakarta Conservatory of Music

Some of the talented master class participants - and their teacher - at JCoM

Day 5, or Meetings and Master Classes

2009-08-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry no photos today - we're relegates to posting from the iPhone in our hotel restaurant as we relax over fresh fruit juices and tea tonight.

We had a very successful meeting with Ibu Josephine Lapod and all the other wonderful staff at the UNICEF Indonesia Country Office. We took lots of photos in our new UNICEF t-shirts. Nathan became the second person ever, after Bill Clinton, to receive a special-ordered "Western size" t-shirt from UNICEF here.

Then we dashed to Jakarta Conservatory of Music to give our first master class of the Peace Tour. We were impressed by the students, all of whom were talented, well-prepared, and responsive. Thank you JCoM!

Photos coming soon....

-- Post From My iPhone

Contest, or Win Authentic Indonesian Loot!

2009-08-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

The Prambanan Temple in Jogja

Hello faithful followers of the Swara Sonora Trio blog!!! As you can see, we are having an exciting trip so far! However, we would love to hear more from you, our supporters and fans. So, we have decided to start a contest. Here are the rules:

1. Read our blog postings from this Peace Tour (July 28th through August 20th) on a regular basis.

2. Leave us a comment on any of the posts!

3. Each comment is an entry to the contest, and we encourage you to enter as many times as you can!

THE LOOT: An authentic Indonesian handicraft from Jogjakarta, which is the traditional center of Javanese culture.

We will randomly select a comment (using only the best method) on August 22nd, and send the winner their prize when we return to Arizona!

Good Luck and happy commenting!

Old Acquaintance: Slamet Abdul Sjukur

2009-08-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

It was a great meeting at Salihara... I was able to see Prof. Dieter Mack (saw him 18 yrs ago or so in Surabaya, for the premiere of Stockhausen's "Kontakte" by him and the late pianist Hansjoerg Koch).... AND... my former composition teacher, Slamet Abdul Sjukur.

Fun meeting, fond memories, and he's still as humorous, optimistic, and cheerful as ever. He complimented on Kathryn's Indonesian... which he said was better than his English. I was very glad to meet him again and we look forward to seeing him at our debut concert THIS FRIDAY, August 7, 2009, at 7.30 PM at Erasmus Huis Jakarta.

Hopefully we'll chat some more with him and talk about music, and other things.
Tomorrow will be a great day, filled with listening to joyful music from students at
the Jakarta Conservatory of Music.

Day 4, or last night and spicy Gado-Gado

2009-08-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended a concert at the Salihara Center, which contains a concert space, art galleries, and studios. It was a concert of new music for winds and piano, hosted by composer Dieter Mack. They came from Freiburg, Germany, and are on their way to New Zealand. The music was interesting and the performers were excellent. Watching the concert inspired us for our own performance Friday night. Afterwards, we got to meet the performers and some other important musicians in Jakarta.

Speaking of our Asian debut concert Friday night, today we visited Erasmus Huis, the Dutch cultural center that is hosting our concert. We got to test out the acoustic in the concert hall, which seats about 540 people and sounds great. We'll have our dress rehearsal Friday afternoon before the big night.

Afterwards, we decided to forgo another cab ride in the dense Jakarta traffic and took the new Trans Jakarta bus to the mall for lunch. The bus runs down a dedicated lane in the center of the street. It's more expensive than the little green Kopaja buses, but still costs less than 50 cents a ride (3.500 Rp!) and is well worth it.

We shopped for postcards, Kathryn bought a batik sun dress, and we enjoyed a sampling of authentic Indonesian food and fruit drinks in the mall's food court. We took the bus back to our neighborhood and then walked the rest of the way to Tante Linda's condo to rest. There are no sidewalks, so at times we literally had to walk in the busy street. Luckily, drivers seem to look out for pedestrians, motor bikes, hand-pulled carts, bicycle taxis, and anything else that wanders into the street.

Tonight we'll have dinner and rest for our big day tomorrow: our meeting with UNICEF staff and our first masterclass, at Jakarta Conservatory of Music, followed by a practice session.

Breaking News!

2009-08-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

Today Kathryn and Nathan had their first taste of durian, the pungent tropical fruit that is banned from hotels and taxis. Nathan liked it, but wasn't a huge fan. Kathryn finds it both delicious and strange. Aryo has always been a fan!

Day 2 and 3, or Jakarta we Love you

2009-08-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last night we were invited to a welcoming dinner at the house of Ary Sutedja and Mikhail David. Ibu Ary is on the board of Yayasan Musik Internasional and she and Mikhail are both wonderful patrons of the arts in Jakarta, and artists and performers themselves.

We presented a short program for them and their distinguished guests, and then we retreated to a wonderful Indonesian buffet dinner. Their house is an amazing work of art, with lots of glass and flowing water. It was a very special evening and we felt warmly welcomed to Indonesia.

Today, after hours of studious rehearsing, Tante Linda and Ibu Erni took us Sederhana Masakan Padang, a restaurant that features cuisine from West Sumatra, which is known simply as padang. We were served many small dishes. that included fish, jackfruit, eggplant, cassava leaf, and other various combinations, all with spicy smabal chili sauce. Kat had her first taste of durian juice, and I enjoyed a tasty cup of kopi susu (coffee with condensed milk).

Tonight we are attending a concert given by German pianist-composer (from Freiburg Conservatory -- long time acquaintance of Aryo) Dieter Mack at the Salihara Community concert series. We are looking forward to it!

Peace Tour Day 1

2009-07-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Jakarta safely yesterday, after a long but enjoyable flight. We celebrated Aryo's birthday in the evening with a family dinner with his mother and aunt Linda. It was Nathan's and my first Indonesian food, and we can't wait to eat more of it.

Our first full day of the Peace Tour began with a press conference with the Indonesian media. They seemed very interested in our project and we hope we'll get some good press (and the post-conference dim sum was delicious and plentiful, too).

In the afternoon we met our hosts at Yayasan Musik Internasional, the pre-college conservatory that has organized our big Asian debut concert at Erasmus Huis next Friday. We also had our first practice session, and despite jet lag we're still in good form.

We also stopped by Jakarta Conservatory of Musik to meet the dean and the staff and make arrangements for our master class there on Tuesday. We just finished eating the leftover dim sum and will head to bed early to rest up for the exciting and busy days ahead!

Swara Sonora takes care of business during a quiet moment.

Hong Kong!

2009-07-29T15:21:00.001-07:00

The trio has safely arrived at HGK! We are going to enjoy a nice breakfast and then it is on to Jakarta.

Make sure that you all tune into KUAT tomorrow (Thursday July 30th) at 6:30 PM and Midnight to see us on the Arizona Illustrated Program! We will be featured at the end of the show!

--Oh yea,it is Aryo's birthday today. Happy Birthday Aryo'

--Post From My iPhone

On our way!

2009-07-28T18:36:00.001-07:00

We are at the Tucson International airport about to begin the first leg of our long journey to Indonesia. I am taking advantage of the last free wi fi we will have for a while to write a quick blog. We are pretty darn excited to be en route. We will write again from Jakarta!

-- Post From My iPhone

First Contribution

2009-07-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Swara Sonora Trio is all set to handover our first contribution to UNICEF. Thursday we arrive in Jakarta. Our first contribution will be $1,500!

Special thanks goes out to all of you who have contributed! We leave today, and all the proceeds from our Indonesian tour will go directly to UNICEF, so if you can, come out and see us!

It's also not too late to donate online. Visit our website for details.

Less then 72 hours until departure!

2009-07-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

View of the Hong Kong Airport

The Swara Sonora Trio is making its final preparations! One last rehearsal, transferring money, shopping, packing, and saying farewell to friends and family here in Tucson.

Personally, I am vary excited to see the airport in Hong Kong. It is a major feat of modern engineering, built in the sea from what used to be two small islands. I watched a program on the process, and I can't wait to see it in person! I hope I will be alert enough to take it all in after a 14 hour flight! From there it's on to Jakarta, where our adventure begins!

Concert Photos

2009-07-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kathryn's mother for sending me these photos from out concert last week!

Ready to Go!

2009-07-21T14:00:00.001-07:00

We leave for Indonesia one week from today. I can't quite believe it. Before our concert last weekend, Nathan went shopping for a pair of antique cymbals like the ones Ananda Sukarlan calls for in the second song of "Love and Variations." In the past we've borrowed from the University, but we needed our own set to take on tour. Now that the trio owns our own cymbals, I feel like we're official!

The cymbals aren't the only thing we needed for tour. Visas have been secured, immunizations given, and lots of details worked out (which the huge help of Aryo's mother working for us back in Indonesia). Now about all we have to do is pack lightly and hit the road! We'll be blogging as much as possible from our hotels in Indonesia, so please keep up with us and our adventures.

Below is our tour itinerary. Read more about our Peace Tour, and follow links to our various sponsor organizations, on the Peace Tour page of our website.

Swara Sonora's Peace Tour Itinerary:

Friday, July 31
Press conference, Jakarta

Tuesday, August 4, 12:00 p.m.
Master class at Jakarta Conservatory of Music

Wednesday, August 5
Master class at University of Pelita Harapan Conservatory of Music

Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m.
Swara Sonora's International debut:
Concert at Erasmus Huis, Jakarta
sponsored by Yayasan Music Internasional

Monday, August 10, 7:00 p.m.
Concert at Institut Seni Indonesia, Jogjakarta

Tuesday, August 11, 9:00 a.m.
Master classs at Institut Seni Indonesia

Wednesday, August 12
Press conference, Surabaya

Thursday, August 13
Radio interview, Bali Paradise FM Radio

Friday, August 14, 7:00 p.m.
Concert at Sanur Beach Hotel, Bali
sponsored by Rotary Club of Bali Taman

Tuesday, August 18
Concert with Surabaya Symphony Orchestra, Shang-Ri-La Hotel

Wednesday, August 19, 7:00 p.m.
Master class at Surabaya Symphony Orchestra

Successful Recital!

2009-07-20T15:45:00.001-07:00

Thank you everyone who attend our recital yesterday!!! It was very successful and we had a great time. Special thanks to Lindabeth and the St. Andrew's Bach Society for having us on their series.

I don't have any pictures from the concert, but I will post them as soon as I get my hands on them. However, one of our sponsors (and Kathryn's mom!) posted a photo on the Canelo Hills blog. Be sure to pay them a visit!

Until I get the photos from the concert, here are some photos from the dinner we had afterwords at Guadalajara Grill.

The whole party!

Swara Sonora Trio

Kathryn with Emily and Allison (who both traveled a long way to see and hear us! Thank you guys!)

Nathan and his dad

Aryo with our favorite patron!

More Press!

2009-07-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the day! At 3:00 at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church we will perform our last concert before we fly to Indonesia! It is part of the St. Andrew's Bach Society Concert Series. Hope to see everyone there!

Here are links to some more press about the concert:

Tucson Weekly

Daily Star 'Accent'

Thanks goes out to the local media for their support!

Dress Rehearsal and Press

2009-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, everyone in the trio sends its condolences to everyone affected by the bombings in Jakarta. Our plans have not changed and we are excited about our tour!

First order of business: Special thanks to Cathalena Burch and Greg Ryan from the Arizona Daily Star for the great feature in today's paper. Be sure to check it out online, if you haven't already.

Second: We headed over to Grace St. Paul's this afternoon for our dress rehearsal. The church is a beautiful space to sing in, and the only thing missing was an audience. Yes, I mean you! This Sunday (July 19th) at 3:00 PM. Come enjoy the music, it will be nice and cool! (see a map at bottom of the post.)
In the meantime, here are a few photos of the dress rehearsal.

Kathryn and our awesome page turner, Christopher

Aryo at the Keyboard

The Swara Sonora Trio

Here's the map:

View Larger Map
Grace St. Paul

New Photos!

2009-07-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

The Swara Sonora Trio is excited to present our new promo photos! We had a great time at the photo shoot, and then spent the morning sorting through the photos. Below are a couple of shots we chose.

So you want to see them all? Just wait, you will! Special thanks to Ingvi Kallen for taking the time to help us out!

Also, be sure to check the Arizona Daily Star (the printed version if you live in Tucson, or the online version if you live elsewhere). We will be featured, and there will hopefully be a couple more photos in the paper.

Things to do

2009-07-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Actually I've been in Tucson and traveling to nearby places such as Phoenix and Nogales.

Too much focus in different things, not just the trio materials but my concertos and solo recital schedules for the entire year. It's going to be a very busy year, but fun!! Trying to plan for Swara Sonora's upcoming things for the entire year, up until Summer 2010.

I'm attaching some pictures of ISI Yogyakarta's new hall (basically the Yogyakarta Conservatory). The newly built hall is just stunning, beautiful, and can hold 800 + people in it. We will perform there on August 10th, 2009, and then give a masterclass the following morning August 11th at the same hall / venue.

The final countdown!

2009-07-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it is 22 days until we board the plane in Tucson! Then it's on to Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and finally Jarkarta! I don't know about my trio-mates, but I am very excited! However, there is a lot of travel to be done before that happens! Kathryn must travel back from the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene, OR, where she is currently performing.

I am currently in St. Louis, where I am visiting friends and family and working diligently on my document for my Doctorate. I have also been fortunate to see many wonderful performances while I have been away from Tucson. I saw the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra perform Mahler's 8th Symphony, three productions at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and two productions at the Muny here in St. Louis. I will also stop by Central City Opera on my way back to Tucson.

Aryo has been in Tucson, but his focus has been on Indonesia, finalizing travel plans with the help of his wonderful mother.

When we are all finally back in Tucson, we will go to work putting the polishing touches for our July 19th concert on the St. Andrews Bach Society Concert Series. Hope we see you all there!

Asia Debut August 7

2009-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our tour schedule is close to settled, and we'll have concerts in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali. We're also investigating adding a date in Yogyakarta.

Our concert at Erasmus Huis in Jakarta on August 7th will be Swara Sonora's international debut. We're really looking forward to it. This week I designed our posters, flyers, and program booklet for the concert. They're going to be printed for us in Jakarta and the posters plastered around to promote the concert. What do you think of the poster design?

Radio-Arts-Indonesia INTERVIEW

2009-05-20T00:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 13, 2009, we Swara Sonora Trio were interviewed live by Radio-Arts-Indonesia. It's an online radio based in the UK and US, but operated by Charles Dean Conrad and his lovely wife, Tinette Soekardjo in Jakarta, Indonesia. They interviewed us online, through the internet. It was such a fun experience!!

Charles Conrad is the older brother of Robert Conrad, of WCLV Radio Cleveland and Cleveland Institute of Music. To listen to the entire interview, please visit our website (we post it there to be listened at all times) at this link: http://www.swarasonora.com/raiinterview.html

This interview will be broadcasted several times until Swara Sonora Trio's arrival in Indonesia in August 2009. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Charles and Tinette!!

La Zarzuela Inn Benefit Concert - Broadway!!

2009-05-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Yaay!! I am proud to say that this concert was a successful event. It was well attended, and our programs of mixing up the classics with ligther repertoire (broadway musicals) worked very well. Thank you to Canelo Hills Winery (http://www.canelohillswinery.com/) and also our generous host La Zarzuela Inn (http://www.zarzuela-az.com/) to make this Saturday afternoon a very delightful and memorable event.

Great food, great wine, and great company (thank you audience!!)

We hope to see you all soon in our next concert, which is July 19th, at the St. Andrews Bach Society Concert. That will be our last concert before embarking to Indonesia!

Vila Jarrel from Vila Thai (http://www.vilathai.com/) also came to our event. She is a sponsor of the arts in Tucson and we are glad to have her presence.

Performing Around Town

2009-05-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

The Swara Sonora Trio has been busy! Besides all the travel planning and fundraising (which is going very well -- over $1400 raised from our 100 Friends campaign alone!), we've been keeping up our performing chops by singing and playing all over Tucson. Last Friday we performed at a lovely evening of music and wine, a benefit event for Casa Mariposa. The event was an elegant, dressy occasion, and gave us a chance to dress up a little less formally than we usually do for performances. Check us out!

Concerts and Master Classes in Jakarta

2009-04-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, we are all excited with our new progress!!

We'll arrive on July 30th, 2009, in Jakarta. After a few days rest, we will do two master classes, and then our concert debut in Jakarta.... which will be on August 6, 2009.

Venue: Erasmus Huis, Dutch Cultural Center! It's strategically located in the center of Jakarta, close to all Embassies and Cultural representative from all the international community.

I've been doing some correspondences with all the music institutions which are inviting us to do master classes. Good times!!

Masterclass: tt will be 3 voice students, 3 piano students, and then we'll have Q&A sessions with students about our career, studies, advice on concert life, surviving in the 21st century as musicians, etc. etc.

Tickets Purchased!

2009-04-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Swara Sonora is really going to Indonesia now. We still have some funds to raise for our Peace Tour benefiting UNICEF, but our new fundraising campaigns are going well, we have enough money in our Fractured Atlas account to cover plane tickets, and it seemed like time to take the plunge and buy them.

On Monday we met at Bentley's coffee house to peruse travel sites and search for the best price and itinerary for our flights to Indonesia. We find that we're very productive in coffee shops - in fact I've joked that we should give honorary tour sponsorships to the various independent local business (Ike's, Beyond Bread, and Bentley's) where we frequently meet.

After two hours of searching, we purchased our tickets from LAX to Jakarta on Cathay Pacific airlines. We'll be gone July 28-August 17. Now it seems real, and we're getting incredibly excited. Stay tuned to the blog for more details on what we'll be doing in Java and Bali from July 28 to August 17!

Kathryn and Aryo show off the flight confirmation screen from Cathay

Update: 100 Friends Campaign

2009-03-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends!

As many of you know, the departure date of our 2009 UNICEF Peace tour is fast approaching! As you probably would expect, there is so much work to do. Fortunately, things have been rolling right along. We are close to finalizing all of our tour dates and accommodations, and most of our promotional and concert materials have been digitally transmitted to Indonesia!

I bet you are sitting there, thinking, "Well they are just about on their way; Nothing more for me to do." Well, I have news for you. There is plenty for you to still do!

1. If you are on Facebook, head over to the Friends of the Swara Sonora Trio page and become a fan. (This is free!)

2. If you are interested in helping us help the youth of Indonesia, and can put off seeing the new Pixar film this week, visit our 100 Friends page, and make a $10 (or more) donation. Who needs your $10 more? (This is not free, but will bring you good luck.)

3. If you want to hear some great music (and live in Arizona or have the means to get here), come see us at one of our upcoming concerts. The Dates are May 9th and July 17th. Mark your calendars, details are coming!!!!

Possible programs for UNICEF PEACE TOUR 2009

2009-03-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

We are going to perform at the Erasmus Huis Concert Hall (The Dutch Cultural Center
at the center of town, in Jakarta, near all of the Embassies and International expats).
Yayasan Musik Internasional (International Music Foundation of Jakarta) is our
generous host for the concert event. We will also perform master classes for this
organization, and possibly doing some outreach events.

This concert / tour will be a "UNICEF Peace Tour 2009": meaning, we will give
the proceeds directly towards UNICEF Indonesia, to foster relationship and friendship
between different countries and culture, and to help each other around the world.

For the program..... hmmm... FOR SURE, we will finally bring Ananda Sukarlan's
"Love and Variations" for soprano, baritone, and piano (written for us, Swara Sonora
trio a year ago). We were brainstorming for music and thematic possibilities, especially
for the soprano-baritone-piano combination.

We'll have a suite by Virgil Thompson (American composer), Joaquin Rodrigo (Spanish), some
Broadway Musicals / tunes of Bernstein, Rogers-Hammerstein, etc. and of course
glorious art songs of Schubert, Purcell, etc. etc.

We have not found a piece by a French composer. Hopefully some Poulenc, maybe?
Kathryn and Nathan mentioned in our meeting today that there might be some interesting
pieces by Poulenc for the soprano-baritone-piano combination.

We're still thinking about all the possibilities, so keep in tune with our progress!!
Additionally, there might be a surprise in terms of concert paraphrase... on some
"local" melodies.

We are on our way for UNICEF Peace Tour!!

2009-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello friends:

We, Swara Sonora Trio, met today and finalized lots of our plans to go to Indonesia this summer. We've got some dates prepared, and our first major concert will be in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday night, August 6th, 2009.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. It is a big, busy, sprawling metropolitan and has lots of exciting musical and cultural activities (of course, businesses is the main activity). It actually has several boroughs / areas, just like New York City.

What's New...

2009-02-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

A lot!!! Well, first of all, I'm in the process of teaching Aryo how to use the blogger account. This should increase the amount of posts, and Aryo is really excited to contribute. Second, we are on the verge of launching an exciting campaign, so keep a watch out for news. Everyone will be receiving an e-mail or a Facebook invitation (if you don't think we have your e-mail, then leave us a comment here!) Finally, we are officially making Thursday blog day, so be sure to check back each week.

Click here for information about Indonesia

Work and Play

2008-11-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Swara Sonora Trio doesn't just make music together, we're pretty good at hanging out together, too. In fact, most of our rehearsals and meetings turn into dinner parties. Last night the guys came over my place for tour planning and a Mexican feast. We decided to have more regular meetings, both so that we don't have hours of talking to do each time, and so that we can share more meals together. This seems to bode well for spending three weeks on the road together in Indonesia next summer...

Recording Session

2008-10-29T13:31:00.001-07:00

Last week Aryo, Nathan, and I (with the page-turning help of our friend Brian) went into the recording studio at the U of A to make a professional recording of "Love and Variations."

In two hours we had all 8 songs in the can. Once we've selected the best tracks, we'll send the complete recording of "Love and Variations" to Bob Conrad of WCLV Radio in Cleveland, who will play our recording on WCLV.

We also made a video of the session, to use in promotional materials for our tour to Indonesia. Our Indonesian manager, Mutia Dharma, requested a video of something well-known to help sell us to presenters and donors in Indonesia, so we made a quick recording of one of our favorite operatic duets, "Là ci darem la mano" from Don Giovanni.

Look for these audio and video clips to be posted soon on our website, www.swarasonora.com

Summer Happenings

2008-06-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings!
After our successful premiere, we are all off on our own for a busy summer! Unfortunately there won't be any performances for the trio this summer, but we are all doing great individual things. Even though we aren't performing together as a group, we are in working hard at arranging performances and and make arrangements for our trip to Indonesia.

In addition to trip plans, we are planning a recording that we can use for promotion and radio broadcast. Check back here for more info on where to here excerpts of the recording or broadcasts!

In other news, I am applying for a grant with the Arizona Commission on the Arts. If the granted, we will be arranging Indonesian folk songs for the trio that we can use for our tour and for concerts here in Tucson.

Don't forget to check back here for more info.

Nathan

Success!

2008-04-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Our world premiere concert of Love and Variations was a great success. The audience gave a warm reception to the newly commissioned work and to our entire concert program, which featured a creative format combining music and poetry.

Now, on to planning for our 2009 Peace Tour to Indonesia!

Bloom Music Center at St. Philip's in the Hills

We'll post more photos from the concert and our post-concert patrons' reception soon, so keep checking the blog!

Tonight's the Night!

2008-04-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Our World Premiere concert is this evening! On Wednesday we had a great dress rehearsal at St. Philip's. The Music Center is a nice hall with good acoustics, and we found that performing the music with a good piano was a completely new experience.

Aryo mugs for the camera while Nathan sings "At the Last Lousy Moments of Love"

Mary Baker was kind enough to come be our audience and listen for balance. She really liked "Love and Variations," our new commission by Ananda Sukarlan. We'd always thought the songs were beautiful, interesting, and audience-friendly, and it was nice to have our opinions confirmed by an impartial listener. Mary's favorite song was "Snowflakes." If you hear our concert tonight, send us a comment and tell us your favorite!

We're ready. Today Aryo has to play for some 1st grade OMA operas, but Nathan and I get to have diva days to rest and get ready. In fact, I'm getting my hair done by Rene, my fabulous stylist at Gadabout!

See you tonight!

Aryo runs his solo, "Isolde's Liebestod"

Wrapping up!

2008-04-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

With just three days left until our World Premiere concert, we are busy putting on the finishing touches! We spent the day rehearsing for the last time at Kathryn's apartment, and tomorrow we will run the program in the Bloom Music Center at St. Philip's. We are very excited about the program and we hope to see you there!

Be sure to visit our website for up to the date information!

Rehearsal Photos:

Aryo studies "Glass Conservatory" ...

... while Kathryn and Nathan perform the unaccompanied duet.

Website Launch

2008-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Our official Swara Sonora website is now online! On it you can find detailed information about the trio, our Love and Variations project, and how you can support the Swara Sonora Trio.

Visit our wesbite at www.swarasonora.com.

Please give us your feedback on the site! Feel free to send an email to swarasonora@gmail.com with your comments.

Project in Motion

2008-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today Nathan, Aryo and I had a productive planning meeting about our world premiere, fundraising, and publicity. We set things in motion to prepare press releases, talk to potential sponsors, and organize ourselves as a music business. On the way home, the guys opened a P.O. Box for us (P.O. Box 31453, Tucson, AZ 85751 if you want to send us mail), while I stayed behind and created an official trio website. The site should be online by early next week, so check back here soon for a launch announcement!

Photo Shoot

2008-01-21T18:18:00.001-08:00

A big day for Swara Sonora - we had a photo shoot and launched our blog. Stay tuned for more information on our project and our world premiere performance of Ananda Sukarlan's "Love & Variations" on April 25 at St. Philip's in the Hills!