Erwin Gutawa was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 16 May 1962. As a child, he enjoyed playing basketball and association football; during this period he also played music on Bina Musika under the direction of Agus Rusli on Televisi Republik Indonesia. As a teen he continued playing music with his friends. After graduating high school, Gutawa earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Indonesia. In the early 1980s Gutawa worked as sound arranger for the TVRI series Telerama. However, his professional career began in the 1985 when he joined the jazz band Karimata as a bassist, playing along with Candra Darusman, Aminoto Kosin, Denny T.R. and Uce Hariono. Together with Karimata, he performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague that same year. During that period, he also worked as an arranger and producer for other singers. After Karimata disbanded in 1991, Gutawa formed his own orchestra and worked as a composer. Besides composing, Gutawa also organised concerts for other artists. On 3 November 2000, Gutawa presented Rockestra, a rock concert featuring Slank, Gigi, and Dewa. Involving an orchestra of 85 musicians, the concert was held at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center. Guest musicians included Ahmad Albar, Roni Harahap, Jockie Soerjoprajogo, and Nicky Astria. On 16 May 2002, Gutawa celebrated his 40th birthday by holding his first solo concert, Konser EG. It took place at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center and also featured Chrisye, Ruth Sahanaya, Krisdayanti, Sheila on 7, and Slank. Since then, he has held numerous concerts, including the Islamic-themed The Spirit of Ramadhan and a farewell concert for his daughter Gita Gutawa entitled A Masterpiece of Erwin Gutawa. In 2005, Gutawa went to London, England to work as a conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra in Royal Albert Hall. In 2010, Gutawa was selected to be one of the judges for Indonesian Idol's sixth season.
Personal life
Gutawa is married to Lufti Adriani, also known as Lulu. Together, they have two children, Aluna Sagita and Aura Aria Gutawa. He enjoys cycling and home cooking, especially Indonesian food.
Legacy
In 1992, Erwin Gutawa and Ruth Sahanaya's song "Kaulah Segalanya" won the 5th Midnight Sun Song Festival in Finland. In 2001 he won the Anugerah Musik Indonesia award for best music arranger for his album Rockestra. Gutawa has been described as having "a Midas touch" for music, with a sharp intuition.
