“I couldn’t ever have imagined this, but at the same time it’s exactly like how I imagined it would be. It’s a dream come true,” said Bryan Simanjuntak, 19 years old, after his very first solo piano recital at Hening Hall, Steinway Gallery, on Sunday 11th of June 2023. For a first recital, the program was ambitious. It was a surprise to all of us when Sudirman Leman, the director of Gitanada School of Music where Bryan takes piano lessons, told us that Bryan had prepared it in only two months.
A student of Dr. Edith Widayani, Bryan performed Haydn, Bach, Chopin, Ravel’s Ondine, and Brahms Two Rhapsodies Op 79. Bryan’s first recital was put together to prepare him for upcoming auditions into various conservatories in Austria.
The recital that afternoon was a moving moment, with Bryan’s big family and friends attending, showing love, support, and encouragement for Bryan’s decision to pursue higher education in music.
The road to this wasn’t easy, as his mother shared during her speech at the end of the recital. “Although we tried to persuade him on a different path, Bryan kept insisting that piano was what he wanted to do. Seeing his determination, in the end we will all always support and hope the best for him.”
Where there is a will, there is a way. The mastery of classical piano is a long and difficult journey, but with Bryan’s drive, talent, and the support of all of his family (musical families at Gitanada included), we have no doubt that his music will take off.
Steinway Indonesia and House of Piano was touched to be a part of this unforgettable moment in the journey of this young pianist. We look ever forward to his continuous growth and future contribution to the piano landscape in Indonesia.
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