Myristica Choir Pesparawi Fakfak, Indonesia © Studi43

Choirs from Indonesia: Sounds with a temperament 

A showcase of culture at the World Choir Games

International Choral Scene

The tropical island nation of Indonesia not only enchants us with magnificent swimming facilities but also with a breathtaking diversity of culture. In this multi-ethnic state music means more than expressing the joy of life. Singing and making music are important elements to underline the feeling of belonging together. The colorful World Choir Games offer a fantastic opportunity to choirs from Indonesia to present their great variety of traditions to the world.

Music as a fundamental element of the Indonesian society

Indonesia has a flourishing music scene. When the red sun sinks into the sea in the evening, guitars and songs start to resound in many places. For the residents in the paradise islands with its tropical jungles and picturesque temples, music is a way to express their thoughts, feelings and problems. There is not the typical Indonesian Folk song, since every group of people proudly presents its own traditional songs.

Despite all differences the various Indonesian Folklore has one thing in common – it tells of home, its residents, its beauty, and is able to unite even most different people.

Choirs from Indonesia performing at international choir competitions like the World Choir Games are often represented in the “Folklore” category and showcase a colorful, manifold and vivid culture of their nation. However, choirs from Indonesia not only are successful in the Folklore; also, the genres of ”Popular Choral Music” and ”Sprituals” belong to their strong skills.

Music Culture in Indonesia

It is impossible to imagine everyday life in Indonesia without music and dance. Music is everywhere: for cultivation of culture, for festivities or just for entertainment. Almost every village in Indonesia has its own dance troupe and there are also a large number of choirs. They’re eager to compete with their choral music, supported by the national governments. The aim is to make the Indonesian music culture known internationally.  This project pays off, because in the INTERKULTUR Top 100 World Rankings there are 8 choirs from Indonesia represented in total!

Choirs from Indonesia on the road to success

Many Indonesian people express their feelings through music. But not only street and live music in the cafes and bars underlines the idyllic scenery acoustically. The Indonesian children learn to sing in a choir very early at school, because choir and singing have a great value in Indonesia. The choir work is for both professional and amateur choirs fairly strict and towards a competition participation. The correct singing techniques play an important role in order to meet the high demands of the conductors. The aim is to practice as long as all singers. The goal is to rehearse until the singers have mastered the choral singing individually and also together. Thus, Indonesian choir rehearsals can even last from three to five hours!  

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Choral education starts in the childhood

Along with many church, school and student’s choirs there are some well-known choirs from Indonesia, for example the Batavia Madrigal Singers or the children’s and youth choirs Resonanz Children Choir or Cordana Youth Choir, who established their reputation through participation in international choir competitions. Reason for the high level of artistic skills of the choirs from Indonesia is on the one hand their ambition to become successful, and on the other hand it’s based on the wish of the Indonesians to introduce their culture to the international music scene.

Ready for the World Choir Games 2022

The World Choir Games 2022 will take place from July 4-14, 2022 in Gangneung/Gangwon-do (Republic of Korea) and are the next important meeting point for the active Indonesian Choral Scene. At this international competition for choral music, organized by INTERKULTUR, top-class amateur choirs like the Diponegoro University Choir or the Vocalista Angels will compete to win. However, this and any other INTERKULTUR Events are not only about the challenge, but of course also about seeing and being seen - because singing unites people!

The World Choir Games not only provide a platform for a colorful competition – we even make it possible to build bridges of community and culture through choral singing. We’re looking forward to welcoming the manifold and talented singers from Indonesia at the World Choir Games or other events as participants or visitors!

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