Setelah beberapa kali berhenti, akhirnya musik mengalun penuh.

Solo tuba melengking bersama kontrabas, menggambarkan kerja keras seorang ksatria muda yang demi cinta ikut kontes menyanyi Master Singer, asosiasi penyair dan pemusik amatir abad ke-14-15 di Jerman.

Inilah ”The Master Singer of Nuremberg-Prelude to Opera” karya Richard Wagner.

Dimainkan oleh puluhan remaja anggota Twilite Youth Orchestra, konduktor Eric Awuy memang bolak-balik menghentikan musik begitu nadanya kurang pas. ”Saya mau dengar kelompok biola satu saja,” katanya.

”Sekarang biola dua.”

”Gesek sampai penuh ya. Ingat, kita main bukan untuk diri sendiri. Suaranya harus sampai ke ujung ruangan,” ujar Eric.

Lima tahun lalu ketika memulai kelompok musik ini, ia harus bekerja keras menyelaraskan nada dan irama. Maklumlah, anggota datang dari berbagai kalangan dan baru saling kenal saat latihan. Tugasnya kini lebih ringan meski anggotanya silih berganti. ”Yang baru masuk ikut bergerak dalam sistem karena mesinnya sudah jalan,” kata Eric pekan lalu.

Sebagai orkes remaja, Twilite Youth Orchestra—populer sebagai TYO, dibaca ti-whai-o—sulit punya anggota abadi. Begitu lulus SMA, anggota yang melanjutkan studi di luar Jakarta tak mungkin berlatih rutin.

Rafadi Hakim ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta

It is often thought that serious classical composers and teenagers are not meant for each other. However, put an enthusiastic conductor together with the 50 budding musicians in the Twilite Youth Orchestra, and nothing can excite them more than Wagner or Rossini.

“We want to enrich of our vocabulary of music. Our mission is to accustom young musicians in Indonesia to standard orchestral repertoires that are performed worldwide,” said Eric Awuy, Twilite Youth’s resident conductor, who has 30 years’ experience in conservatories and orchestras across Canada and other countries. Eric is presently the Twilite Orchestra’s principal trumpeter.

“The Great Overtures”, the concert that the orchestra will perform with the support of Grand Indonesia at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski’s Bali Room on Aug. 17th, features a repertoire of pieces that are challenging even according to the standards of professional Indonesian orchestras. On the concert’s list of pieces, Eric said, are the complete overtures to Wagner’s Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Rossini’s William Tell in addition to concertos by instrumental soloists.

Sri Ramadhani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Serpong, Tangerang   |  Sun, 02/10/2008 12:57 PM  |  Discover

"Aviciena!" Rina Rachmawati, a teacher at Aviciena Islamic Kindergarten in Serpong, Tangerang, called out to a group of students clad in orange T-shirts. "Children, today we will see a rehearsal by the Twilite Youth Orchestra. Before we go, I have some questions for you all."

Holding up a picture of a musical instrument, she asked them: "Who knows the name of this instrument?"

"It's a saxophone!" said Miftah, 6.

"Ok. What about this?" prompted Rina. "Viola!" said 5 year-old Nasywa.

"Good, children. Now, we will see how these instruments are played together by members of the Twilite Youth Orchestra," said Rina.

This exchange between students of Aviciena Islamic Kindergarten and their teacher took place not in the classroom, but at the entrance of Plaza Kemang 88, South Jakarta.

That Sunday morning, 14 students, six teachers and an assistant of the school, as well as parents, visited the Twilite Youth Orchestra's rehearsal studio on the top floor of the plaza.

Ketika Eric Awuy Memimpin Orkes Remaja Baru

PENCINTA musik klasik di Indonesia mengenal Eric Awuy sebagai peniup trompet ulung. Setelah mulai belajar musik pada usia dini dengan ibunya sendiri, Eric masuk ke sekolah musik pada usia 5 tahun di Jerman, dan pada usia 15 tahun ia memutuskan untuk main trompet. Instrumen inilah yang ia pelajari secara mendalam di Hull Music Conservatory (1979-1985) dan berikutnya di Montreal Music Conservatory (1985-1988), keduanya di Kanada.

Dengan memainkan trompet ini Eric telah menyusuri perjalanan panjang, antara lain ambil bagian dalam ansambel maupun orkestra, seperti di Montreal Symphony Orchestra dan Philharmonia Brass Ensemble serta I Musici.

Tetapi di luar itu, ternyata Eric punya bakat lain, yakni sebagai konduktor. Ia pernah jadi konduktor tamu di Notre-Dame College Orchestra, World Youth orchestra, dan Indonesian Youth Orchestra. Terakhir, seperti yang ia lakukan sabtu (5/3) lalu di Balai Sarbini Jakarta, Eric menjadi konduktor Twilite Youth Orchestra (TYO).