Tony Wenas Will Hold Solo Concert After More Than 40 Years of Work, Collaborating with a Series of Top Musicians in the Country

Kapanlagi.com - The name Tony Wenas is no stranger in the business world. As the President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, he has a long track record as a successful businessman. But did you know that Tony was previously known as a musician?

Yes, in the 80s, Tony Wenas was a well-known musician. Together with the band Solid '80, he established himself as one of the talented pianists in the country. Now, Tony will hold a solo concert titled Tony Wenas: The Piano Man on June 7, 2024 at The Ballroom Djakarta Theatre.

This concert is organized by PAPRI (Association of Singers, Songwriters, and Musicians of the Republic of Indonesia). This solo concert is also the highlight of Tony Wenas' musical career spanning over 40 years. Therefore, the DPP PAPPRI as the organizer ensures that everything runs smoothly.

"The concert preparation is already 90% complete. In addition to production preparations, Mr. Tony Wenas still needs to practice twice more with the band and orchestra," explained Hendra Sinadia, the Concert Coordinator, who has been preparing for this spectacular concert for the past 3 months, together with the PAPPRI Live Team.

1. Collaboration with a Series of Top Musicians

Tony Wenas: The Piano Man will be held on June 7, 2024 (Photo credit: KapanLagi/Bayu Herdianto)

The General Treasurer of PAPRI, Lexi M. Budiman, mentioned that Tony Wenas showed a very professional attitude both in the field of music and in the mining business world. It is proven that amidst his busy schedule as the President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, one of the Deputy Chairmen of KADIN, the Secretary General of the Indonesian Mining Association (IMA), and his activities in various other industrial/social organizations, Tony still continues to hone his musicality.

In his solo concert, Tony will collaborate with top names in the country, such as Dwiki Dharmawan, Krishna Prameswara, Once Mekel, Ruth Sahanaya, Eka Deli, LiLo, Kadri Mohammad, Rio Sidik, Rega Dauna, Tantowi Yahya, MC Kamidia Radisti, and of course Solid 80, the band that started Tony Wenas' career in the Indonesian Music Industry.

"I want to perform in this concert, as a tribute to PAPPRI's struggle throughout Indonesia, so that we can not only be good at home but also excel away from home," said the husband of Roshita Manik and father of Diego Clasio Fernando Wenas.

2. Event Concept

Tony Wenas: The Piano Man will be held on June 7, 2024 (Photo credit: KapanLagi/Bayu Herdianto)

Krisna Prameswara will act as the music director, collaborating with Dwiki Dharmawan who is also the Secretary General of PAPPRI. Dwiki will act as the conductor and orchestrator for the Strings & Horn Section.

Tony Wenas feels happy and grateful for the support from various parties. Especially seeing the preparations of DPP PAPPRI and the hard work of the PAPPRI Live team in preparing for his solo concert. This limited premium invitation concert is supported by several main sponsors, such as: PT. Pertamina (Persero) Tbk and PT. Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.

Other sponsors include: PT. Pangansari Utama, PT. Anugerah Tuhup Raya, TaxPrime, Benchmark Advantage Group, and PT. Semesta Alam Barito (SAB), as well as support from Kompas Group (Harian Kompas, Kompas Com, and Kompas TV), Radio Digital DeHills, Planet Design Indonesia Production House, and Roda Randata from Bandung.

"Thank you for all the support, hopefully my solo concert can be remembered as one of the best performances of a music concert in Indonesia," Tony Wenas hopes.

Seeing the high enthusiasm of Indonesian music lovers for the Tony Wenas: The Piano Man Concert, the organizing committee is currently planning to hold similar concerts in several other major cities in Indonesia.

"This is just the beginning, we are planning for more concerts, with various formats and genres. The key is the continuation of the concert," concludes Tony.

3. Musical Career

Tony Wenas (Photo credit: KapanLagi/Bayu Herdianto)

In the Indonesian music industry, Tony Wenas' musical journey began in 1980. That's when he entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia. There, together with his fellow campus friends, they formed a music group called Solid 80.

"Initially, we played songs by The Beatles, Earth Wind and Fire. Then we eventually became the band Epigon Queen, because we often covered their songs. I still remember the first time I sang the song 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' one of Queen's masterpieces, with Solid 80. It was live on air at Studio 5 RRI," said the man born in Jakarta on April 8, 1962.

In addition to Solid '80, this multi-talented figure also opened himself up to collaborate with other musicians. For example, Fariz RM invited him to join Symphony, a band formed by the late [insert name]. Jimmy Paais and Herman Gelly, where Fariz joined as a bassist. The popular music group in the early 80s was formed to accommodate the development of world music along with the development of digital technology in the music world.

In addition, Tony Wenas once became a keyboardist for Makara in 1981. He also joined the band Hookerman, playing works of world supergroups such as Uriah Heep, Kansas, and Rainbow. Tony is also part of Prasakti, a band that covers classic rock songs.

Meanwhile, his friendship with Fariz RM continues until now. They formed the vocal group Gentlemen together with Deddy Dhukun and Mus Mujiono. In 2023, they performed at the Prambanan Jazz Festival in Yogyakarta.

(kpl/gtr)