Last nite we went to watch La Boheme the opera of tante Catharina Leimena’s SuSvara Company in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. Tante Catharina has been a close friend of ours whom we respect profoundly. She’s an inspiration to us, as I’m sure she’s been to the rest of Indonesia. Some of our friends and Ivonne’s students are also a part of the opera, so we took time to buy lots of flower bouquets beforehand.
We thoroughly enjoyed the opera, for it was a production very well put together: the soloists, the choirs, the orchestra, the costume, the backdrops, the props, the lighting—all came into life before our eyes. I can tell how hard they all must have worked for this opera. Their hard work really shows, and it very well pays off. Can you imagine singing a 3-hour worth of repertoire in full-blown Italian? 
Tante Catharina once asked Ivonne to help coach the opera team, so Ivonne was both excited and honoured to finally watch the whole performance in full length.
During the performance, I can’t help looking at Patricia Limansubroto (Ivonne’s voice student) who’s playing cello in the Twilite Youth Orchestra. She’s only 14 years old, yet she’s SO talented!! She looks really kewl with her cello! Also special kudos to Alexandro Subianto (Dodo) and Ratih Purbasari for their stunning voice, performance, & acting altogether!
At the end of the performance, we went backstage to congratulate our friends personally. They were all cheering and laughing of happiness & relief, hugging each other. Tante Catharina looked very beautiful yesterday, and she too was very proud, delighted, and relieved. I noticed how much weight she had lost, I suppose that’s because she’s been working so hard for over 10 months for La Boheme. The buoyant cheering continued, with camera’s flashes everywere. Well well, I’m sure it must have been a very rewarding experience for everyone involved. BIG BIG Congratulations!