Jesslyn Julia Gunawan set a new world record as the very first pianist to perform Goldberg Variations, which was composed by the renowned Johann Sebastian Bach, at the Sydney Opera House (24/5). For 39 years history of Sydney Opera House, no world-class pianist has ever performed the most difficult and complex of the Bach’s masterpiece in the prestigious opera house.
On the occasion, Jesslyn also performed Gethuk Variations, which was composed by Indonesian famous pianist, Jaya Suprana.
Jesslyn Julia Gunawan (15) is an Indonesian young pianist who, since she was only 8 years-old, has won many awards from international piano competition, including Chopin International Piano competition (2004) in Malaysia, and Platinum Award for pianoforte and Gold Award for violin. She also received a scholarship from Singapore Music Teacher Association in 2008.
Her previous biggest achievement was becoming the 1st Winner of Tureck-Bach International Piano Competition in New York City, USA, in 2010. In addition, she has also received various awards from the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI).
The Indonesian Ambassador for Australia and Vanuatu, Primo Alui Joelianto, delivered a welcome speech before the performance. In his speech, the Ambassador stated that Jessylin did not only make a history for Indonesia, but also for people-people links between Indonesia and Australia.