Proudly! Through Cultural Concert, IPB Agria Swara Choir Introduces Indonesian Culture in Vienna, Austria

After scoring an achievement by winning the Grand Prix title as the General Champion of the Competition in The 34th Praga Cantat International Choir Competition and Festival at the National House Na Vinohradech, Prague, Czech Republic, yesterday (11/11), the IPB Agria Swara Student Choir (PSM) also introduced the diversity of Indonesian culture in Vienna, Austria.

The step was done by Agria Swara through a cultural concert at BORG Guntramsdorf High School and Weltmuseum Vienna, Austria (14/11).

“This cultural concert is part of the mission of the International Mission in Art and Culture (IMAC) program that Agria Swara brings. So, every time Agria Swara goes to compete abroad, in addition to winning the competition, we also have a mission to introduce Indonesian culture through the songs, dances, and clothes that we introduce,” explained Sekarini Aksobya, head of the IPB delegation at The 9th IMAC.

This activity was also attended by the Indonesian Ambassador to Austria, Dr iur Damos Dumoli Agusman, and attended by various important parties of Weltmuseum, Austrian-Indonesian Society (AIS), Weltmuseum visitors, and several media partners. While at Borg Guntramsdorf High School, the concert was attended by 300 students who were very enthusiastic to learn about Indonesian culture.

“The ambassador liked the singing, dancing, and costumes that we performed and wore,” she said.

Sekarini revealed that the concert was also made possible by Robert Dani, an Indonesian diaspora living in Vienna. Robert was the one who became the liaison between PSM Agria Swara and AIS so that they could hold a concert at the Weltmuseum.

IPB Agria Swara Choir performed seven folk songs namely ‘wak-wak gung’, ‘hela rotane’, ‘sarinande’, ‘ampar-ampar pisang’, ‘yamko rambe yamko’, ‘lisoi’, ‘gayatri’, and the song ‘Heidenröslein’ by Franz Schubert.

These songs were also performed in the pre-competition concert last October. During the competition in Vienna, Agria Swara focused more on practicing the competition songs first. When the competition was over, they rehearsed the songs that would be performed at the cultural concert.

She said she was very proud and happy about the new experiences gained during the competition and cultural concert. Sekarini and her colleagues had the opportunity to exchange insights about the culture of their respective countries with high school students in Vienna.

“I am very happy for sure. This is the first time Agria Swara has successfully held a cultural concert of this size. Previous years were held on a small scale. Alhamdulillah, this year we managed to hold concerts in two places with a large audience,” Sekarini said.

“Especially being able to perform at the Weltmuseum, we are very proud because it is the largest and most famous museum in Austria,” she said. (MW/Rz) (IAAS/TNY)