Lydia's First Concert

Cultural events are not as accessible here compared to Wheaton, which is a mecca of cultural activity, so when I saw a concert for kids advertised, I jumped at the chance to take Lydia.  I learned that Karawaci (the suburb where we live) actually has a community orchestra, children's orchestra, children's choir, community choir, and suzuki lessons.  The orchestra and choirs were going to be performing at a venue just down the street from us, and there was also going to be a special cultural performance from a group of Afghani refugees.  Basically, everything that I love and am passionate about all in one performance! The climax of the evening was going to be a performance of "Peter and the Wolf."

It looks like a grimace but that is excitement to be at her first concert!

Lydia and I biked over to the concert and found seats in the hall.  Since it was her first concert, I wasn't sure if it would hold her attention or how she would react. She climbed up on my lap when the lights dimmed and the concert began.  She thought the instruments were loud and was a little scared when there was a sound problem and the mic made a loud noise, but other than that she was perfectly attentive during the entire hour long first half of the program.  It helped that after the orchestra played, most of the choral pieces were accompanied by dance.  The choir was made up of what looked like junior high and high school aged girls and was quite good.  They performed folk music from around the world.  One of my favorite pieces was called "Badminton" and there was a choreographed badminton game that made the piece come alive and was a lot of fun to watch.

Sitting together.

After the intermission, the Afghani refugee musical group got up and performed several pieces from their own culture.  Watching the faces of those teenagers, I couldn't imagine what sorrow they had seen and the lives that they were living now.  Here they are in Jakarta, just waiting.  Not able to work, attend school, or follow their dreams.  Unable to return to their home country under threat of death.  Not accepted into a third resettlement country.  They have no idea how long they will be in this stage of practical paralysis.  You could see the longing in their faces as they sang about their country.  You could see their joy as they danced to the sound of their traditional instruments.  All of them wore beautiful and elaborate traditional clothing that showcased the elegance and uniqueness of their culture.  There is a group in Jakarta that works with these refugees and provides them with some English classes and other classes for the kids, but unfortunately it is too far away from where we live for me to realistically be involved.  It would likely take 1-2 hours just to get there.  Maybe someday God will bring refugee ministry closer to where I live.

You can't see well, but that's the Afghani refugee group performing.

After the Afghani cultural performance, Peter and the Wolf began.  It was narrated in Bahasa Indonesia and acted out by some of the kids from the choir.  Two hours into the concert, I had to take Lydia home to put Elias to bed, so we didn't get to see the ending, but it thrilled my music loving heart to see her reaction and response to the concert.  As we rode home under the few twinkling stars in the sky, she talked about the wolf chasing the bird and said, "the wolf is chasing us." The next day when we rode by the concert venue, she asked if we could go to the concert again.

Peter and the Wolf

For the next several days all she talked about was Peter and the Wolf.  We checked the book out from our school's library and she asked for us to read it over and over again.  We showed her a full performance of Peter and the Wolf on youtube several times and she intently watched the whole 30 minute performance each time.  I'm excited that there's the possibility for Lydia to be involved in these kinds of ensembles as she gets older (if she is so inclined).  To have such resources right where we live is no small thing!