[unsoed.ac.id, 08/08/24] Mardika Nur Warid, a student from the Accounting batch of 2022, achieved the remarkable feat of winning two championships in different competitions simultaneously. In the year 2024, he secured second place in the Men’s Keroncong Vocal Competition at the 2024 National Level Indonesian Performing Arts Festival (FSPI) organized by Yogyakarta State University, and also clinched second place in the Men’s Keroncong Vocal competition at Pekan Seni Mahasiswa Daerah (PEKSIMIDA) in Central Java.
Mardika has been passionate about music, particularly solo vocals, since his kindergarten days. He continues to refine his skills by participating in various music competitions. Mardika started focusing on keroncong music in 2023.
“I have been involved in keroncong music since 2023, when I started preparing for the Soedirman Art Festival competition,” Mardika said.
Besides winning this year, Mardika has participated in various competitions since childhood, spanning various genres including children’s songs, pop songs, religious songs, and even songs from the golden memories era.
In preparation for the male keroncong vocal competition, Mardika regularly practiced with keroncong musicians from Banyumas, Purbalingga, and Cilacap. He also frequently participated in performances with Gema Kencana Keroncong Orchestra Group in Banyumas, practicing 3-4 times per week.
Mardika mentioned that while practicing keroncong vocal, he often got home late due to the travel distance between Purbalingga and Banyumas. He honed his performance skills by participating in the Sunday Night Performance at the Kota Lama Banyumas Complex, familiarizing himself with keroncong music and singing. He viewed the competition as a way to express his talents and hobbies while also contributing to the preservation of Indonesian music culture.
“This competition is a medium for me to channel my talents and hobbies because I find peace and joy through singing. As a young person, I also want to preserve Indonesia’s music culture and ensure that it continues to thrive even in the modern era,” he explained.
During the competition, he received support from his faculty in the form of funds, which he used to pay for competition registration and create video recordings. The university also supported him by providing facilities to assist with his competition preparation.
The main challenge he encountered while preparing for the competition was finding a keroncong musician to be his coach. This was difficult because the number of keroncong musicians is very limited, making it hard to find one who could help him prepare for the competition. Keroncong music has a beautiful flow and its own uniqueness, which requires precise notation. Therefore, when singing, it must be performed exactly according to the notation to convey the meaning and beauty of the song properly.
Mardika revealed that this keroncong vocal competition was a new experience for him, and he was proud to learn the original, beautiful Indonesian music.