Tony Prabowo is one of Indonesia’s most distinguished composers and a significant force in Indonesian modern music. He studied music with Slamet Abdul Sjukur at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts. Tony started the New Jakarta Ensemble in 1996.
Tony has collaborated with choreographers, painters, poets, as well as directors of film and theater. His work has been produced and enjoyed world-wide. In the United States, his collaborative work has been performed at the New York International Festival of the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, and the Tanglewood Festival (with conductor Tan Dun). His work has been performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble, the Seattle Creative Orchestra, ISI Yogyakarta Orchestra, the Mannes Orchestra, the Orchestra of the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen among others.
Though previous works made use of the entire orchestra, his latest works are for voice. His first opera, The King’s Witch (1999) was performed in Alice Tully Hall, New York. Meditation on Lu Xun II (2000) adalah karya koor pertamanya, telah dibawakan oleh Paduan Suara Universitas Parahyangan. Tony received the Meet the Composer grant from the Ford Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council allowing him to live in New York from 1997-1998.