“ORCHESTRA KOTA LAMA”

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A Historic Milestone: The Birth of Kota Lama Orchestra

The year 2025 marks a historic moment for Festival Kota Lama Semarang with the birth of the Kota Lama Orchestra (KLO). This is the realization of a dream that began in 2012, when the festival was first held a dream to present a performance that truly embodies the spirit of Kota Lama while involving the young generation of Semarang as its main driving force.

Musically, KLO reflects the rich cultural heritage of Kota Lama, a historic district on the northern coast of Java that has long served as a meeting point for diverse cultures. Traditions from around the world blend here, giving a unique character to the identity of Semarang.

Preparation for the Debut Performance

🎻 Johnny Rahaket – Violinist & Conductor

Born to a Maluku father and Dutch mother, Johnny studied violin at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, and the Conservatorium Utrecht in the Netherlands. He has spent nearly his entire life exploring how people around the world express themselves musically reworking and reinterpreting music to find common ground between cultures.

For over 20 years, Johnny has performed with his group R-chestra, conducted choirs, and toured internationally as a solo violinist. His tours have included the Soviet Union, China, India, Indonesia, the United States, the Netherlands Antilles, Iraq, and many European countries.

He was invited by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to perform at the Silk Road Festival. Johnny has released five CDs, two of which were named by the Dutch press as the best in the field of world music in the Netherlands. He has also worked as a violin teacher throughout his life.

 

KLO Guest Artists at Festival Kota Lama 2025

Especially for Kota Lama Orchestra, several musicians from the Netherlands will join the festival to support KLO performing together, giving ensemble lessons, and leading master classes.

🎻 Francien Schatborn – Principal Viola

Francien studied violin with Jürgen Kussmaul at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, graduating summa cum laude in 1995. In 1994, she received the Vriendenkrans award from the Royal Concertgebouw together with pianist Jeannette Koekkoek, with whom she formed a regular duo and released two successful CDs.

Since 1995, she has been the principal viola of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also an active chamber musician, performing with the Roctet Strijkoctet (eight string players) and the Hermitage Quartet. Roctet was recently nominated for the Edison Award for their second CD.

She has appeared as a soloist with the Radio Chamber Orchestra, North Holland Philharmonic, Holland Symfonia, Netherlands Student Orchestra, and her own Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2013, Francien has been the principal viola lecturer at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

🎻 Floor Le Coultre – Violin

Named Young Musical Talent Netherlands, Floor graduated summa cum laude in 2014 with an award for “captivating musical performance.” She regularly performs with Daniel Rowland, Anna Fedorova, Rosanne Philippens, Nino Gvetadze, and many others, and has appeared at festivals including Stift Festival, Aurora Festival, Delft Chamber Music Festival, Sylt Chamber Music Festival.

Floor has collaborated on CDs with Barbara Hannigan, Daniel Rowland, and Sarah Quakrat. In 2020, she released her debut CD Cuckoo with guitarist Martin van Hees. She performs with ensembles such as New European Ensemble, LUDWIG, Esbjerg Ensemble (Denmark), and RCO Camerata.

As a lecturer, she is affiliated with the Davidsbündler Music Academy in The Hague and has given masterclasses at Aurora, Stift Musical Encounters, and in Cividale, Italy.

🥁 Anton Aukes – Drummer & Percussionist

Anton studied at the conservatory’s music school and has taught music projects in elementary schools for more than 30 years. He has performed as a drummer/percussionist in dozens of bands and ensembles across a wide range of styles. He is the author of Second Line: 100 Years of New Orleans Drumming, published in the United States.

🥁 Chris Burki – Percussionist

“My love for music comes from my mother, who in her youth was a singer in a jazz band in Jakarta.”

From the age of 12, Chris began exploring music — even without a drum set, practicing on a stack of dictionaries. His early influences were rhythm & blues, later expanding to a love of swing jazz by legendary guitarist Barney Kessel.

In his first band, he performed songs by Neil Young, showing his openness to many genres. A turning point came when he discovered the jembe, an African percussion instrument, sparking his passion to explore sounds from around the world. Musical experience includes:

• Listening to and watching musicians tirelessly
• Practicing and rehearsing alone or with others
• Performing in groups with percussion, wind instruments, and vocals
• Musical styles from West Africa to Mexico, and from the Middle East to Finland

His music bridges past and present, tradition and innovation, local and global — a journey without limits.