The National Student Art Competition Festival (FLS2N), which is one of the programs of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, is also delegated to each education office in every region. The art competition, which is participated in by 10th and 11th grade high school students and their equivalents, consists of 10 categories. These include acoustic guitar, solo guitar, partner dance, solo vocals, monologue, poetry writing, poetry reading, crafts, poster design, and short film competition. This annual competition attracts participants from different provinces, who have previously been selected from schools in each city in Indonesia.
Widyatama University (UTama) was entrusted to be the homebase for the selection process, especially in the city of Bandung. “Choosing UTama was not a random choice, but based on the clean and beautiful atmosphere of the campus and its friendly service, I chose Widyatama as a place where children can express themselves in the arts,” said Drs. Supanda, M.Pd, Head of High School Services at the Bandung City Education Office.
A positive response was seen from the arrival of the Deputy Mayor of Bandung, H. Oded M. Danial, who took the time to attend the opening of the competition held on May 9-10, 2016, at the Widyatama Multipurpose Building. In his speech, Mr. Oded was very appreciative and hoped that the city of Bandung would be one of the largest contributors to represent West Java Province in Manado later.
The addition of sub-themes to the competition (Acoustic and Solo Guitar) increased the enthusiasm of the participants from each school. They showed off their best talents to bring honor to their schools.
On the second day, the competition held was the solo vocal final and the solo guitar competition. It was interesting when the winner of the solo guitar competition, Aldo, a student from SMAN 2 Bandung, was announced as the first winner. Aldo is unique in that he is the only participant with a disability in his left hand. His five-minute performance was both moving and astonishing, as he strummed the guitar like a zither but was deeply immersed in every note and tone. Additionally, the winner of the rotating championship and the overall champion, who took home the Rector Widyatma trophy, was SMAN 14 Bandung.
