Jefri Setiawan (middle) with Indonesian Consul General Candra Negara and other officials at the Indonesian Consulate General in Dubai. John Varughese / Gulf Today
Mariecar Jara Puyod, Senior Reporter
Support is a sure shot in the arm because everyone is blessed with at least one unique talent and that was proven when a 16-year-old Indonesian who dreams of becoming a doctor one day, won two international accolades in Dubai, for having played the piano blindfolded for six hours.
The visiting boy is Jefri Setiawan who has learned to feel – and therefore the rhythmic closing of his eyes – for each ting-tong of each ebony and ivory, individually or collectively leaning on the percussion instrument. In his youth, he suffered bouts of sleepiness while enjoying his gift from God for an average of five hours after his morning classes in Jakarta.
“Nobody has managed it so far. Jefri is definitely amazing. brought), for six hours at the piano is one for books.
The comment came from the jury of the Universal Records Forum (URF) Sarans KK. He was with British World Records-UK (BWR-UK) representative Muhammed Arif. They witnessed Setiawan’s world record feat which captivated guests with his talent from around 11:00 a.m. to just over 5:00 p.m. at the Social Hall of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia on Wednesday.
With PAWS-Mumbai, Martial Arts Authority of India, Official World Record, Georgian Records Federation and World Martial Arts Games as “Global Partners”, URF, with network in UAE, USA, India and Kenya, was formed in 2014 by “world record holders” such as UAE Coordinator Dr. Sari Changaramkumarath “to encourage each record holder and give them the deserved platform to show off their talent, stamina, stamina and their achievements before the world”.
BWR-UK “encourages, supports, promotes” and certifies individuals, entities or communities with discovered or latent talents who “make or break records, regardless of religion and geographical boundaries”.
The URF “Certificate 2022-Memorizong Songs in Sequence Order While Playing Piano Non Stop Blindfolded For the Longest Time-Record” reads: “16-year-old Jefri Setiawan from Indonesia successfully achieved the memorization record songs in sequence order, while playing piano for six hours blindfolded for the longest time in the world, at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Dubai Villa No. 1, Street No. 2A, Al Mina Road-Dubai-United Arab Emirates on May 18, 2022.”
The BWR-UK certificate reiterates the URF award. Arif noted Setiawan’s ability to play the piano “non-stop”, moving from room to room with ease and comfort.
Just imagine audiences becoming hooked on Setiawan’s renditions of not only Indonesian songs – as his repertoire also included his nine musical compositions – but also classics such as Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” that every Level 3 piano student must excel; the emotion-evoking anime Kakijima Shinji’s “Sangeki No Kioku” and “A Thousand Years” from the romance-fantasy “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2”; the bridge between Frank Sinatra’s version of the theme song “Love Story” from the hit 1970 romantic film of the same title and the Taylor Swift-penned “Love Story”; and even the Christian worship songs “Amazing Grace” by John Newton and “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban.
Setiawan who asked his parents to buy him a “small keyboard” to start with when he saw a child his age playing at a “music center” in Semarang, Central Java, later said that he wanted to experiment with all musical genres. . Anyway, he remains faithful to “jazz, pop and ballad”.
The eldest of the three is the only one to have demonstrated the flair and faculty of music, according to Jokomanis: “His teacher at the (famous Indonesian composer’s music school) Purwa Caraca told me that his fingers had eyes for the notes and the music itself.
“I believe that supporting our children’s interests which would help to improve their character and outlook is one love we could give them. We so appreciate the Jakarta Government, the management of Universitas Gunadarma, especially Prof. Chancellor/ Dr. ES Margianti, and Consul General (in Dubai and Northern Emirates) Candra (Negara) for our presence here in Dubai for this quest,” Jokomanis said.
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