SURABAYA - Hujan deras yang mengguyur Surabaya tadi malam, tak menyurutkan semangat peserta parade 1. 000 lampion. Acara yang digelar dalam rangkan merayakan Cap Go Meh itu diselenggarakan Paguyuban Masyarakat Tionghoa Indonesia (PMTI) Surabaya dan didukung JTV.
Sekitar 1.300 orang dengan masing-masing satu lampion di tangan, tampak bersemangat menyusuri rute yang telah ditentukan. Diberangkatkan oleh Preskom JTV Imawan Mashuri dan Kapolwiltabes Surabaya Kombes Pol Anang Iskandar dari Jalan Kembang Jepun, peserta menyusuri Jalan Veteran, Gemblongan, Jalan Tunjungan, Jalan Gubernur Suryo, dan berakhir di Taman Surya.
Karena hujan cukup lebat, penonton yang sudah banyak berdiri di pinggir jalan, sempat semburat dan mencari tempat berteduh. Nyala lampion pun banyak yang mati karena basah dan korslet. Meski demikian, hal itu tak menyurutkan semangat peserta untuk menuntaskan perjalanan hingga garis finish.
Bukan hanya parade lampion, atraksi sepuluh barongsai, tiga liang-liong, dan tiga reog Ponorogo ikut memeriahkan acara tersebut. Pesertanya juga bukan hanya anak muda, tapi orang tua, anak-anak, bahkan ibu-ibu rumah tangga.
Liem Ou Yen, Ketua Koordinator Paguyuban Masyarakat Tionghoa Surabaya (PMTS) menyatakan rasa salutnya terhadap peserta parade tersebut. Menurut dia, semangat itu membuat peserta tak menghiraukan halangan cuaca. “Sebenarnya, sejak kumpul di Kya-Kya sudah gerimis. Tapi, saya lihat peserta masih semangat,” kata Ou Yen.
Semangat itu pula yang menurut Ou Yen membuat peserta terus berjalan hingga finis. “Tidak ada yang berhenti di tengah jalan. Semua sampai selesai,” katanya.
Ou Yen mengatakan, hujan di bulan Cia Gwee, bulan pertama penanggalan Tiongkok, memang wajar. Sebagian orang menghubungkan hujan saat masa tahun baru Imlek sebagai kelimpahan rezeki. “Memang ada yang percaya bahwa hujan yang turun berarti turunnya berkah,” kata pria baby face itu.(ken/dee/ita
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 25th, 2008
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Classical music encourages good health and exercises the brain. It is also relatively easy to learn and offers career opportunities with salaries as high as a politician’s — or so says Solomon Tong, 68, the conductor of the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra.
As a variety of experts have revealed, playing or listening to classical music has been linked to effective brain development. Unsurprisingly, the news has pushed pregnant women around the world into a Mozart craze, often tending to their daily chores with walkmans attached.
But Solomon is not particularly concerned about the positive effects of this musical genre on the brain, although he is well aware of the widely publicized findings of psychologists.
“I simply love it,” said the conductor, who has 55 years of experience in classical music.
Solomon has been popularizing classical music actively in the country’s second largest city of Surabaya, East Java, since 1957.
With the end of Dutch rule in the 1940s, ownership of Surabaya’s Youth Center Building — which had served previously as a Dutch dance hall — was transferred to the city government. In 1957, the Surabaya Music Association (PMS) began using the center for its orchestral concerts.
Around 1958, when the PMS was headed by Suryo Sumarwoto — who replaced Slamet Abdul Sjukur, a Surabaya musician who studied art in France — the East Java capital became the hub for concerts staged by Jakarta’s classical musicians, which led to the increasing popularity of this refined music.
Despite the dissolution of the PMS in 1966, today, Surabaya has about 6,000 violin players, with thousands of classical music fans.
Though it might have no relation to kung-fu, the serene and elegant style of classical musicians can be likened to the supple movement of Tai Chi masters.
Playing or listening to classical pieces, according to Solomon, does not require any jumping around or hip shaking like rock music or dangdut. Musicians need only be conversant with musicality, tonality and other aspects of technique they have learned to stage their performances.
Notwithstanding their tranquil appearance, both the conductor and musicians must be capable of synchronizing their physicality and mental acumen.
As a conductor, Solomon guides musical rhythm, harmonizes tones, direct all players and is generally immersed in the compositions performed.
“So it really makes us healthy to be engaged in classical music,” he pointed out, adding that in order to enjoy a concert, the audience should remain quiet and dedicate a high level concentration to it.
Classical music audiences do not munch food or drink carbonated beverages when a concert is in progress.
At a recent Christmas concert, a young fan said the occasion was “right for losing weight and encouraging greater affection from my lover”.
Solomon stressed that it was not difficult to learn classical music. However, it requires patience and perseverance to achieve a good command of the music — he said it takes a maximum of 15 years to become a professional player.
“Persistent exercise with discipline is the key to success,” said Solomon.
Of the dozens of classical music schools that exist in cities across Indonesia, Surabaya alone has 30 schools, including the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra (SSO) school located on Jl. Gentengkali 15.
Founded in 1996, the SSO has 300 registered students, 60 percent of whom are studying the violin, with the rest studying the piano, woodwinds and vocals.
They may also pursue ranking through examinations organized by the Association Board of Royal Schools of Music in London.
“Music school fees range from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 a month,” said Solomon.
As for instruments, a good violin may cost over Rp 10 million, but a standard violin is still cheaper than a PlayStation II or automobile modifications at about Rp 600,000.
A piano costs as much as a laptop, and prices range from Rp 5 million to Rp 20 million.
Diligent students keen on deepening their skills and knowledge of classical music have an opportunity to become music teachers or professional musicians — occupations that provide a considerable income, sometimes as high as the salary of a House of Representatives member.
According to Solomon’s tips, those interested in becoming a “Mozart of Indonesia” must have great discipline, determination and high zeal in musical studies. As instructors and parents, they must be able to provide sufficient support to encourage the interest of their students and children.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 25th, 2008