Jakarta Globe, Katrin Figge, January 15, 2013
 |
Janice Carissa Kurniawan, 14, started playing the piano as a child and has
since performed around the world. She plays her first recital in Indonesia
tonight. (Photo courtesy of Sienny Debora) |
Related
articles
At first
sight, Janice Carissa Kurniawan looks like a regular teenager: the bubbly,
charming 14-year-old is a 9th grade scholarship student at Cita Hati Christian
Junior High School in Surabaya. She likes to hang out with her friends at a
mall on the weekends, hoping to catch a movie.
But as soon
as her fingers touch the keys of a piano, Janice drifts off into another world
— the world of music.
She has
spent two hours every day playing the piano for as long as she can remember. On
some days — especially prior to a concert — she practices up to eight or nine
hours. Janice has already performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York,
and will have her first solo piano recital in Indonesia at Soehanna Hall in
South Jakarta tonight at 7:30 p.m., organized by the Jaya Suprana School of
Performing Arts.
Janice’s
mother Sienny Debora, the founder of music school Studio Musik Sienny and a
piano teacher for 36 years, realized very early that her daughter had a special
gift.
“When she
was only 4 years old, she could already follow the melody of very complex
pieces that even my advanced students had trouble with,” she recalled.
Janice’s
musical talent was certainly harnessed by growing up in a musical family — not
only does her mother play, but so does her older brother Ryan and her aunt Ivon
Maria, who also serves as a mentor to her.
At first,
Janice also played the drums and other percussion instruments, but in the end,
the piano won her over.
“Before I
actually learned to play and knew how to read notes, I always ran to the piano
and hit the keys,” Janice said in flawless English. “That always made me
happy.”
When she
was 8 years old, she won the IBLA International Piano Competition in Jakarta.
It was then that Janice realized she wanted to become a professional pianist
and stopped regarding music as a mere pastime. Instead she looked at it as
something that could be her calling.
“I realized
that this is what I was meant to live for,” she said.
As the
winner of the competition, she was invited to travel to the United States and
play a month-long tour, which took her to Carnegie Hall, Radford University in
Virginia and other venues in Minnesota and Arkansas. It was a journey she still
remembers fondly today.
“There was
this dinner, and I was sitting next to Mark Stodola [the mayor of Little Rock,
Arkansas], but I didn’t realize it was him, so I only had eyes for the food,”
Janice said. “And when he told me who he was, I was embarrassed. But hey, I was
only 8 years old, so I hope that’s OK as an excuse.”
After
returning from America, Janice thrived during her piano lessons. More concerts
followed — most notably a tour in Italy in 2008, and in Poland in 2011 and
2012.
Two years
ago, she was invited to the Presidential Palace in Bogor to perform for
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his ministers. In the same year, she
also performed a duet with her brother at the Sydney Opera House.
In 2010,
the siblings also entered the first edition of the Trans TV reality show
“Indonesia Mencari Bakat” (“Indonesia’s Got Talent”) together. Janice also had
the chance to take master classes with renowned pianists from all over the
world.
“It’s a
great opportunity, because I get to learn something new each time,” Janice
said.
Janice has
been inducted into the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) five times already for
her efforts on the piano.
Even though
she is still very young — or maybe because of that — Janice has never suffered
from stage fright. She also isn’t nervous about her recital tonight.
“Whenever I
see a concert hall full of people, I get this feeling that I need to get out
there and play,” she said. “So, I am excited, but in a good way.”
She has
chosen pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frederic
Chopin, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Kapustin, Carl Vine and Jaya
Suprana for her debut — a colorful mix of classical music from baroque to
contemporary.
When asked
who her favorite composer is, Janice had to think hard about an answer.
“I love all
the composers, they all have something unique to them,” she said. “But I think
I like Franz Liszt the most. Whenever I play his pieces, I can feel in my soul
what he was trying to say through his music.”
Janice knows
that constant practice is the key to a successful career in music.
“If I take
a break for only one day, my hands will feel different the next time I sit at
the piano,” she said. “It’s already a little bit messy.”
Looking
ahead, Janice doesn’t know yet where her path will take her once she has
graduated from high school.
“It’s three
more years, and I should decide what to do next soon,” she said earnestly.
“Three years sounds like a long time, but in reality, time flies.”
While she
still wants to be able to travel and perform all over the world, Janice thinks
that she will always keep her base in Indonesia.
“It’s my
country, and I love it,” she said. “This is my home. And there are so many
young and talented kids who are now interested in classical music, who haven’t
been discovered yet. But maybe I will study in Europe or the US first. I am
still trying to find the perfect school.”
Her mother
supports Janice and shares the same dreams with the young girl: seeing her
perform in great concert halls in front of enthusiastic audiences. But if, for
whatever reason, Janice should change her mind about becoming a pianist, Sienny
said that she wouldn’t mind either.
“So far,
she has never once said that she was bored with the piano,” Sienny explained.
“But if she was, that would be fine with me too. I want her to follow her heart
and do what’s best for her.”
While the
majority of her life is focused on the piano, Janice also allows herself some
time outside of the music world to explore her other passions.
“I am
interested in photography, I love to take pictures,” she said, but added that
nothing could ever replace her love for the piano. “It’s the biggest part of my
life, and I could never let that go.”
Related Articles:
More of human DNA is active than was thought
Four-year-old Melbourne artist shows in NY
"The Quantum Factor" – Apr 10, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Galaxies, Universe, Intelligent design, Benevolent design, Aliens, Nikola Tesla (Quantum energy), Inter-Planetary Travel, DNA, Genes, Stem Cells, Cells, Rejuvenation, Shift of Human Consciousness, Spontaneous Remission,
Religion, Dictators, Africa, China, Nuclear Power, Sustainable Development, Animals, Global Unity.. etc.) - (Text Version)
"..... DNA - A Quantum Force
Now we get to the core truth, don't we? So I will tell you. The ninety percent of DNA which is quantum, is filled with information, both esoteric and timeless. It is a quantum blueprint for everything you are and have been since you arrived on the planet the first time. DNA contains instruction sets for your life; everything from your full Akashic Record - every single lifetime you have had - to the benevolent creator's fingerprint within the seeds of creation itself. Every single talent you ever had is there, even if you don't have any of those today... the record is there. Every predisposition of weakness and strength are there. Biologically, every single instruction to every single stem cell is there. . ..."
"..... DNA is a Dynamic Molecule, not a static one.
Humanity is stuck in the 3D portion of their biological thinking. In your 3-D life, you simply accept the chemistry you're given. You act as though the three percent gene producing part is all there is. You believe it is a chemical protocol that is unchangeable and simply "you." You don't see it for the way it's designed. It's dynamic and always has been. It's not set, but will continue to simply repeat what it does unless there is another quantum influence on it.
Therefore you live with the 3 percent as though it were all there is, and since it just "came with your body" and seems to control everything, you never talk to it. Many of you come in with pre-dispositions based upon the karma which is put upon you from your past lives. You don't come in clean [without karmic energy]. Instead, you arrive with pre-dispositions, fears and phobias. Some are positive. Perhaps you come in as a prodigy continuing your last life... the 8-year-old who can paint like a master and do brushstrokes that take 30 years to develop. What does that tell you about what must be in the DNA?
Perhaps you come in as the composer, the pianist, the prodigy, the violinist, just waiting until your hands can go on the fingerboard or can reach up and fret the notes. Perhaps you come in knowing how to play the piano, just waiting for your hands to get big enough to do what you used to do... without any lessons. How do you explain that, dear ones? The answer is that all this is contained in the dynamic quantum instruction sets of your DNA... the part you never talk to it. .."
