Solo Keroncong Festival to Mix Traditional and Modern Music
Jakarta. Although traditional keroncong music may not be very popular among the youth, a festival celebrating this art form, set to take place at Vastenburg Fort in Solo, Central Java, on July 21-22, will change this.
Solo Keroncong Festival 2017 will combine the traditional art form with the latest musical trends and feature dozens of local, national and international artists.
"This year's event will have a youth theme. Why youth? Because youth is dynamic, firm, energetic. Young people also love everything glamorous, extravagant and sexy," Solo Tourism Agency head Sis Ismiyati said on Monday (17/07).
These extravagant elements are mostly found in pop, disco, rock or jazz music, which are very different from keroncong.
"In this festival, we will create a different nuance. Our youth has freedom of expression and we take it as a theme," Sis added.
She expressed hope that young people will learn to appreciate keroncong by mixing it with trending styles to make it livelier.
"Keroncong may also tell tales about love, nationality, and the charms of Indonesia," she added.
Nine groups from several parts of the archipelago will also perform during the festival, festival organizing committee head Cuk Subagyo said.
"We are focusing Solo Keroncong Festival 2017 on the youth, who want to express the music, the variation of keroncong and others," Cuk said.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said music, including keroncong, is part of the creative industry. If it is well packaged, it can become an attraction for Indonesia's tourism sector.
"Music is closely connected to tourism, as it is included in the fourth wave of the cultural, or creative industry," Arief said. "Therefore, displaying keroncong with a touch of influence from these young people, will surely be a fun combination to watch."
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