Ibu Kota Nusantara, September 7, 2025 — The Student Choir (PSM) of the Kalimantan Institute of Technology (ITK) has once again made a brilliant national achievement. The team, consisting of 39 people—38 singers, one conductor, and one official—successfully won a Gold Medal and advanced to the Grand Prix round at the Nusantara International Choir Folk Festival 2025, held at the Kemenko 3 Building in Ibu Kota Nusantara.

The PSM ITK's journey at this festival lasted for five days, from September 3 to September 7, 2025. The competition, which was attended by 20 choir teams from various regions in Indonesia, featured three categories: Youth Choir, Mixed Choir, and Folk Song. PSM ITK competed in the Youth Choir category.

In addition to the competition, the team also participated in various supporting activities, such as a cultural festival, tree planting, a meet-the-jurors session, and a cultural forum.

Non-Stop Struggle and Short Practice Time

The team's struggle began long before the main event. Intensive practice started on July 15, 2025, which meant they only had about 50 days to prepare. With conductor Aksel Reynard Panjaitan and official Federiko Abriansyah Kasan leading the way, the biggest challenge was not just song preparation, but also funding. With the very high cost of sending 39 people, the team had to work hard to secure their participation. They made efforts to find sponsors, busk in the streets, and apply for financial aid from the campus.

What's even more impressive is that this preparation was done independently by the PSM ITK's student board without a permanent coach. This demonstrates the extraordinary spirit and dedication of all members.

In the preliminary round, PSM ITK performed two of their main songs: "Locus Iste" by Anton Bruckner and "Paris Barantai" arranged by Ken Steven.

Surprise in the Grand Prix Round

The most dramatic moment came during the announcement of the teams that qualified for the Grand Prix (Grand Final) round. Initially, the PSM ITK team felt less confident because their opponents were very strong. They didn't even have time to practice the new song required for this round.

"We only submitted the program for the Grand Prix round without practicing the song. When the name 'PSM Institut Teknologi Kalimantan' was called by the judges, we were very surprised and grateful," said one of the team members.

With an unyielding spirit, they managed to learn a new song, "Rosas Pandan" arranged by George G. Hernandez, in just one night (about 4 hours). This song would typically require at least a month of practice. "Surprisingly, we managed to do it!" he added.

In the Grand Prix round, PSM ITK performed "Rosas Pandan" and reprised "Paris Barantai". Thanks to their hard work and struggle, PSM ITK successfully secured the 4th position in the Grand Prix round and earned a Gold Medal.

This achievement proves that with fighting spirit, hard work, and unity, limitations do not hinder reaching the highest level of achievement.