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Singers Kathryn Mueller and Nathan Krueger, along with pianist Aryo Wicaksono, are spending three weeks giving performances, teaching music classes and meeting young musicians.

By University Communications
August 4, 2009

Three University of Arizona music alumni kick off their Swara Sonora Trio's Peace Tour today in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Their tour will take them to the Indonesian cities of Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali and Surabaya to foster intercultural understanding and raise funds for the children of this vast archipelago through UNICEF.

Singers Kathryn Mueller (soprano), Nathan Krueger (baritone) and pianist Aryo Wicaksono will spend three weeks giving performances in each city, teaching master classes at music schools, meeting young musicians and working with community members.

Swara Sonora will donate some of the performances' proceeds to help fund UNICEF-supported immunization programs. About half-a-million children in Indonesia receive no immunization by their first birthday while another 2.4 million children are only partially immunized, according to a recent government survey.

It is estimated that one Indonesian child dies every 3 minutes and 460 infants die every day, some from vaccine preventable diseases.

"We believe in the work that UNICEF is doing to improve the lives of children in Indonesia," said Mueller. "Even though what we'll give monetarily is a small amount, we're proud to contribute and helping the children of Indonesia fits in with our philosophy of exploring across cultures."

The three met during graduate school at the UA.

Accomplished soloists in their own rights with careers spanning the United States and Europe, they also taught opera and language arts to first graders as a team in the Opening Minds Through the Arts program in Tucson public schools.

"We truly appreciate this unique way of engaging audiences to support UNICEF, especially when we can really make a difference for children," said UNICEF Country Representative Angela Kearney. "Routine immunization is a vital program to reduce child mortality. We are supporting the Indonesian government efforts to fulfill children's right to survive and thrive through their earliest years."  

The Peace Tour was born when the trio, at the urging of Indonesian-born Wicaksono, commissioned "Love and Variations" from Ananda Sukarlan, a prominent Indonesian composer. 

The work for soprano, baritone and piano consists of eight songs in English, Spanish and Indonesian. The successful world premiere and the international scope of the commission project inspired them to bring Sukarlan's music to Indonesia and to interact with audiences and musicians in that country.

"As performers we all strive to infuse our art with purpose. The dual goal of international cooperation and support for children's programs in Indonesia makes this tour more special than the average performance," said Mueller.

The main idea of the Peace Tour, according to Wicaksono, "is to create a performance that will hopefully promote peace, mutual understanding, cooperation, tolerance and compassion."

"What I enjoy most about performing is sharing music with others. The opportunity to share Sukarlan's wonderful ‘Love and Variations' with people here in the United States and in Indonesia is very exciting," said Krueger.

The trio has embarked on an ambitious fundraising campaign to support the tour, and sponsors can make tax-deductible donations to the tour through Swara Sonora's Web site.

UNICEF is on the ground in more than 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls and the protection of children from violence, exploitation and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.