Australian Classical Pianist Geoffrey Saba Performs in Jakarta and Surabaya

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty welcomed leading Australian classical pianist Geoffrey Saba back to Indonesia to perform in Jakarta and Surabaya from 8 to 15 December 2010 to mark the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.

“I am delighted to see more and more Australian musicians performing in Indonesia and even more pleased when they return to contribute to the nurturing of young artistic and musical excellence in Indonesia. Music is a universal language which strengthens the friendship and people to people links between our two countries,” Ambassador Moriarty said.

Saba will perform his celebratory Chopin biennial programme in Jakarta tomorrow at the Jaya Suprana School of Performing Arts and will take master classes with a number of students. He has also been invited by Solomon Tong to perform a solo Chopin recital in Surabaya on 10 December, followed by master classes with local East Javanese music students and a final orchestral concert on 14 December with the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra.

The performances by Geoffrey Saba are sponsored by the Australia-Indonesia Institute, an Australian Government initiative. Over the past two decades, the Australia-Indonesia Institute has been a prominent supporter of bilateral cultural links.

Saba began his musical career in Toowoomba in the Australian state of Queensland. He is now largely based in London where he has performed since the 1970s when he made his London début and was awarded a bronze medal at the First Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. Regular touring has taken him to North America, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, South East Asia and Australia.

His large repertoire includes rarely-performed music from the early part of the 20th century. Saba’s best-selling recordings have achieved critical acclaim. They include performances of virtuoso Russian works, unusual and romantically flamboyant transcriptions, and a Schubert recital. His London concerts since 2001 have comprised of Bach, Bartok, including the complete Debussy Preludes, and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations.

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, Cultural Attaché tel. (021) 2550 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175