ABOUT
STEPHEN TONG
Stephen Tong is a pioneer in Indonesian classical music society. Fatherless at the age of three, he is a man of many gifts, born with extraordinary sensitivity to all art forms including music, painting, architecture, and sculpture.
In 1985, Stephen led a seven cities concert rally for the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of JS Bach and GF Händel, attended by 27,000 people. He later founded Jakarta Oratorio Society in 1986, which annually performs concerts in Jakarta, performing great oratorio works. In December 2008, Stephen took Jakarta by storm when 9,000 people attended the 2-performances of Handel's complete Messiah choruses.
In 2009, Indonesia was blessed with its first ever classical concert hall of international standard - Aula Simfonia Jakarta. It is another exhibit of Stephen’s architectural achievement, with Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra as the newly formed and appointed orchestra-in-residence and Jakarta Oratorio Society as the choir-in-residence, Stephen inaugurated all these in October 2009 with a series of concerts to celebrate. In its first decade alone, Aula Simfonia Jakarta has hosted over 200 performances of classical concerts.
Stephen is passionate about introducing classical music to the people of Indonesia and to the world. Starting 2017, Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra and Jakarta Oratorio Society embarked on a Grand Concert Tour and performed in major cities in Indonesia. In 2018 and 2019, Grand Concert Tour took place again but not only in Indonesia, the ASJ ensembles-in-residence reached Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia.
As the home of ASJ, Jakarta was not left out, for its people witnessed one of the biggest crowds for classical music events in Konser Akbar Monas, taking place in 2019, 2022, and 2023, attracting more than 80,000 people of different backgrounds, age, race, and religion. Konser Akbar Monas is the first open-door classical music performance in Indonesia.
Stephen is the Artistic Director of Aula Simfonia Jakarta, Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, and Jakarta Oratorio Society.
JAKARTA SIMFONIA ORCHESTRA
Founded in 2009 by Stephen Tong as the Music Director, Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra (JSO) was established to fill the demand for classical concerts in the greater Metropolitan City of Jakarta. As the first and only professional orchestra that performs monthly to an estimated 15-20 concerts per year, JSO showcases a wide range of works, from the Baroque era all the way to the 21st century in its curated concerts. The four pillars of curated concerts are: the Masterworks Classical Series, the Choral Oratorio Series—performing alongside Jakarta Oratorio Society as the choir in residence of ASJ, the Educational Series in which the Family Concert is one of the most sought-after concerts, and lastly but not least, the Pops Series where audiences can enjoy Broadway and soundtrack music.
Stephen Tong believes in educating the people of Indonesia about the beauty of classical music, and through each curated concert of these varied series, each performance presented becomes a not-to-be-missed opportunity that has entertained people of all ages and backgrounds. Since 2019, JSO and JOS have treated the people of Jakarta to Konser Akbar Monas, the first and biggest classical music concert in Indonesia, held in Monas (National Monument).
The orchestra has also given the Indonesian premiere of many important works, including Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and No. 4, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, and most recently, Gabriela Ortiz’ Antropolis and Eunike Tanzil’s Origin. In 2020, the orchestra founded its own contemporary group, Ensemble Kontemporer, to promote the appreciation of contemporary music and works by living composers.
On top of the regular performances, JSO alongside JOS (Jakarta Oratorio Society), have embarked on Grand Concert Tours, traveling to cities in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia, under the baton of Stephen Tong, introducing the level of Indonesian musicians’ musicality and professionalism.
JAKARTA ORATORIO SOCIETY
A choir that performs oratorio pieces was unheard of in the 1980s. Stephen Tong who had always loved classical music – oratorio especially – started the choir with a vision to educate Christian churches in Indonesia of the masterful works of great composers.
Started in 1986, Stephen gathered amateur singers and personally trained them in weekly rehearsals. The light and upbeat melody of Handel Messiah, great works by Mendelssohn, and careful approach of Bach St. Matthew Passion became alive under his direction. Both technique and phrasing were learned through careful examination, on top of these, the spirit of the age – Zeitgeist – were always taught.
Within its 38 years of performances, Jakarta Oratorio Society (JOS) has traveled to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia, and many cities in Indonesia.
Since 2009, Jakarta Oratorio Society has been the choir-in-residence for Aula Simfonia Jakarta and has repeatedly performed Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Haydn’s The Seasons, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang (Symphony no. 2), Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra.
Though consisting of amateur musicians, the singers of JOS are well trained to keep up with the demand. In 2024 alone, the choir performs 7 oratorios in 5 concerts, and they are Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Seasons, and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang (Symphony no. 2).