Gadjah Mada Chamber Orchestra (GMCO) has again thrown a concert titled Grand Concert Vol.7: “Odyssey” on Saturday (28/4), presenting Indonesian first harpist-vocalist, Angela July.
“It may be rare for Indonesians to see a concert that presents a harpist. That’s why we present something different to kind of educate the audience,” said event chairman of Grand Concert, Ridhan Fadhilah, on Thursday (26/4).
He added the theme of Odyssey was chosen to depict the journey of GMCO that turned 10 on 18 February. So, GMCO also involved musicians that once worked with them, such as OSUI Mahawaditra, UGM Student Choir, and Marching Band.
GMCO will present songs which they had played earlier but arranged differently with modern touch.
“The songs we play have historical value of being played in recitals or mini-concerts. We also play classical music to strengthen our identity as symphonic orchestra in addition to pop songs,” said music director of the Grand Concert, Puput Pramuditya.
GMCO is a UGM’s student unit in music area that has now over 100 members of musicians and management team.
Preparations were made since May 2017 after Grand Concert 2017 and practice since November 2017. The commitment and hard work of members in the concert have earned praise from Prof. dr. Adi Utarini, MSc, MPH, PhD, who is supervisor of GMCO.
“I’m very proud of GMCO. They are not students of music school but they are able to commit time to practising. I believe that by playing in an orchestra, they can learn much from life, such as value of discipline and loyalty,” she said.
With the hard work, she believed the concert would be UGM’s pride. She mentioned that leading universities usually have student orchestras. As a leading university in the city of culture, the presence of GMCO will be a contribution from UGM to the development of Indonesian arts and culture.
“I am sure music can run together with any profession. Apart from doing courses, the student involvement in GMCO can make a contribution and be the pride of Yogyakarta,” she added.