PSM of IPB “Agria Swara” Achieves Victory in Belgium and the Netherlands
Student Choir (PSM) of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) “Agria Swara” won 'The 3rd Prize of Mixed Choir Category' in the 13th International Choir Contest of Flanders – Maasmechelen, Belgium'. "Certainly, for this victory we should be thankful because, every step towards the victory is of great value. Not only being on the stage of the competition but also the success to get to Belgian land that is not easy has given many lessons for every member of the team in a good and mature organization and that every dream and high expectation requires a serious struggle," said Mutiara Endina, Head of Delegation.
Various concerts and events in order to get support from various parties have been well organized by the team of The 6th International Mission in Art and Culture (The 6th IMAC) of PSM of IPB “Agria Swara”. This starts from the Harmony concert of Pakuan Land to that of Pre-Competition before departure. For this, the team managed to attract the support of the Bogor City Government, IPB Alumni Association, and Agria Swara alumni from various parts of the country, as well as IPB.
"The good intention always has a good road and must be realized with good action as well. Given the magnitude of the moral and material support by the various parties involving sponsors and donors, particularly alumni, certainly needs to be responded to with a good performance. Alhamdulillah (Thanks God), winning the third position in the competition is the best result we could afford to give," added Chairman of PSM-IPB “Agria Swara”, Miftakhul Arif.
The competition took place in Cultuur Centrum, Maasmechelen-Belgium. The songs arranged by the conductor, Arvin Zainullah were able to put PSM-IPB Agria Swara in a quite encouraging position. In the first session, the composition of the songs performed include Ah Dolente Partita, Nachtwache Op.104 No.2, The Sick Rose, and Agnus Dei. Then, in the next session the team presents the songs Bubuy Bulan, Ov'e Lass' ll Bel Viso, and Ma Rencong.
The competition arranged in the good organization from 2-4 October 2015 managed to bring many surprises for the team The 6th IMAC in Belgium. During the competition, the team realized that the competitors who came from various parts of the European countries cannot be underestimated. In addition, the team had the opportunity to meet directly with the composer of the competed song Agnus Dei, namely Ivan Yohan, as well as the representative of the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels who was pleased to see the performance of PSM IPB Agria Swara team until the final stage of the competition. "For us, you're already the first champion," said Ivan Mahdiyat, representative of the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels who came to shake hands with the team on the announcement of the winners (4/10).
Not ending up on the competition stage in Belgium, the next day the team flew to the land of windmills, the Netherlands, and received a warm welcome from Dutch PPI. Working closely with Utrecht Studente Cantorij, Utrecht University, PSM IPB Agria Swara organized a charity concert “Stichting Burung Manyar” to raise funds for the patients who need medicines. The concert performed lively and left a good impression. Jef Schaap, the project holder of 'Stichting Bird Manyar' shares a posting in his facebook account, "Thank you, Agria Swara for the last night concert. I enjoyed all of the songs, especially Two Moves and The Slow Scat ". (mtd)
