Jogja Orchestra House Brings Nostalgia of Children's Songs Through MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA

Kapanlagi.com - MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA, a concert held by Jogja Orchestra House (ROJ), successfully captured the attention of thousands of spectators. There were 9,700 people who participated in the "ticket war", but the available quota was only 300 spectators. Considering the location far from the city center, ROJ itself admitted to being surprised by the audience's enthusiasm to witness the orchestra event in the Bukit Gardu Pandang Kaliurang area.

MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA is part of the Music Camp and not a standalone concert event. About 100 musicians performing are participants of the Music Camp and collaborators from among professional artists.

With its consistency in organizing concerts with diverse themes, ROJ hopes that the orchestra can become closer to the community. Through several previous concerts, ROJ has proven that all music can be packaged in the form of an orchestra. Thus, the stigma that an orchestra is an exclusive performance can be erased.

1. MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA Bringing a Different Concept

Portrait of Habibi Rahman, Conductor and One of the Founders of the Jogja Orchestra House (Credit: KapanLagi.com/Nurul Wahida)

The Jogja Orchestra House (ROJ) successfully held a concert titled MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA on Monday (16/9/24). In line with the event's title, this concert was held in the area of Bukit Gardu Pandang Kaliurang, which is part of the foothills of Mount Merapi. Accustomed to performing indoors, this outdoor music concept was a new experience for the children involved in the ROJ community.

Habibi Rahman, the conductor and one of the founders of ROJ, stated that this concept was chosen to provide an experience for the members to feel what an outdoor concert is like.

"Usually, the Jogja Orchestra House performs in a hall; we want to give a new experience for the children in the Jogja Orchestra House community to feel what it's like to have a concert outdoors," said Habibi Rahman when met at the performance area.

2. Music Camp Event Series

MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA organized by Rumah Orkestra Jogja (Credit: KapanLagi.com/Nurul Wahida)

THE MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA is part of the Music Camp event series that has been held three days before the performance. The children who are members of ROJ have the opportunity to learn from the invited speakers. The concert held on the closing day is the result of the learning gained during the Music Camp.

"So this Music Camp is for the members of the ROJ community, we stayed in Kaliurang for three days filled with speakers. Then on the closing day, Monday, is the concert. So it is the result of their learning during the Music Camp," Habibi Rahman explained.

Even though THE MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA is part of the Music Camp and not a standalone concert event, the audience remains enthusiastic to witness it. In fact, the organizers were surprised when there was a free "ticket war" recorded through Google Forms. Out of approximately 9,700 people who registered, only about 300 audience members had the opportunity to attend.

3. Bring Back the Nostalgia of Children's Play Songs

MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA organized by Rumah Orkestra Jogja (Credit: Fimela.com/Senjie Nuraini)

In addition to providing learning for the children of ROJ members, the MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA also aims to evoke nostalgia through the chosen theme. Carrying the theme 'Gathering of Kids', ROJ presents a series of popular children's songs from the past. For adult audiences, this concert can be an opportunity to reminisce about the songs they heard or sang in their childhood.

"We want to provide an experience for the audience to remember their childhood songs, like 'Gundul-Gundul Pacul', 'Cublak-Cublak Suweng'," said Habibi Rahman.

The song 'Cublak-Cublak Suweng' plays beautifully as the opening, followed by 'Gundul-Gundul Pacul', and 'Padang Bulan'. When the song 'Turi-Turi Putih' is played, a dance is also presented, depicting the story of someone searching for the essence of life.

In addition to the titles mentioned above, the orchestra, which consists of around 100 talents, also performs popular songs often used as background music for children's theater. These songs include 'Jaranan', 'Kidang Talun', and 'Suwe Ora Jamu'.

Interestingly, ROJ also collaborates with several professional musicians, making the concert even more colorful. In the medley 'Jaranan', the music is played in orchestral form featuring the clarinet orchestra with Alfian Agus as the clarinet soloist. Meanwhile, the medley 'Lir-ilir' and 'Gethuk' are performed by young singers Regina Victoria and Nada Abrya as collaborators.

4. Removing the Exclusive Stigma on Orchestra Music

MOUNTAIN FOOT ORCHESTRA organized by Jogja Orchestra House (Credit: KapanLagi.com/Nurul Wahida)

ROJ hopes that orchestra music can become more widely recognized by the public. Moreover, Habibi Rahman believes that orchestra has often been regarded as exclusive music. Through various concerts that have been held, ROJ seems to prove that all music can be packaged in orchestral form.

Previously, ROJ successfully held a concert titled SAGA From Our Childhood featuring the best songs from Studio Ghibli Animated Films. This concert continued with the theme Naruto Chapter.

"There are many narratives that orchestra music is only for exclusive people, the upper middle class. We want to erase that stigma that everything can be packaged in orchestral form, whether it's children's songs, Japanese songs, anime songs, or sad songs," concluded Habibi Rahman.

COME JOIN THE WHATSAPP CHANNEL KAPANLAGI.COM SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST UPDATES AND NEWS ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD AT HOME AND ABROAD. CLICK HERE, KLOVERS!

(kpl/ans)