| 2006 Thailand Brass Festival | September 13, 2006 | ||||||||||||
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The 2006 Thailand Brass Festival was held on March 15-17, 2006 on the campus of Rangsit University in Bangkok, Thailand. The festival brought together clinicians and performers from seven different countries, and over 400 students from Thailand attended the event. Hosted by Lertkiat Chongjirajitra (Professor of Trumpet, Rangsit University) and Festival Director Edmund Cord (Professor of Trumpet, Indiana University), this event is the first of what is hoped will become a yearly event in Thailand. Day One The artist faculty arrived early to prepare for a short concert at the Opening Ceremonies. Trumpet artists included Edmund Cord (USA), Laurie Gargan (Singapore), Lertkiat Chongjirajitra (Thailand), Joseph Bowman (Thailand), Thanu Raksaraj (Thailand), Wirote Srisunanrat (Thailand), and Sompop Puengpreeda (Thailand). Ed Cord conducted a short opening concert which began with the premier of Prelude by Denny Euprasert. Festival Hosts Chongjirajitra and Cord then gave short welcome addresses to the participants, followed by a heartfelt introduction from Dr. Denny Euprasert, director of the Rangsit University Conservatory of Music. The performance continued with Canzona septimi toni No. 1 by Giovanni Gabrieli, Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas, and closed with another premier, Fanfare for King Rama from “Ayodhya” by Somtow Sucharitkul. The day continued with a warmup session for students, followed by a performance by the student brass ensembles of the Mahidol University College of Music. Following a lunch break, Laurie Gargan (Principal Trumpet, Singapore Symphony Orchestra) presented a mini-recital and clinic entitled “A Singing Approach to the Trumpet”. Gargan performed selections to help demonstrate some of the important points from his presentation. Those included the 2 nd movement of Concerto in E-flat Major by Joseph Haydn, the 2 nd prelude from Three Preludes by George Gershwin, and the Concerto in E-flat Major by Vincenzo Bellini. The large audience responded very enthusiastically to Gargan’s performance, and rewarded him with a standing ovation at the conclusion of the session. After a break to visit displays, there was a recital featuring the low brass artist faculty. Those artists included Mayumi Shimizu (Japan), Regan Wickman (Thailand), Steve Rosse (Australia), Mizuho Kojima (Japan), Manit Buchachanok (Thailand), and Sittichai Ongsa-ard (Thailand). They performed several solo selections as well as a few ensemble works. The students in attendance have rarely heard such a collection of artistry, and their enthusiasm for the performances was palpable. Students then participated in master classes with the artists of each instrument. Professor Ed Cord gave the trumpet students a presentation which focused on the basics of sound production. He emphasized the importance of discovering ways to make trumpet playing feel and sound easy, and gave the students several exercises to help demonstrate his points. Over 150 trumpet students attended this session: Cord commented that it was wonderful to see so many excited trumpet players, hungry to learn more about their instrument. The final event of the day was a recital featuring the artist faculty trumpet players. The first work performed was an inspiring piece by composer Narongrit Dhamabutra titled Fanfare 2004, performed by Cord, Chongjirajitra, Raksaraj, and Srisunanrat. Lertkiat Chongjirajitra (Principal Trumpet, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra) them performed several works for trumpet and continuo, including Concerto in D by Giuseppe Torelli, Rondeau from Te Deum by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and an arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by J.S. Bach. Ed Cord followed with a performance of the Neruda Concerto in E-flat Major and En Forme de Habanera by Maurice Ravel. He was then joined by Chonjirajitra for a splendid performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets. Thanu Raksaraj (National Symphony Orchestra of Thailand) next performed Jazz Variations on Paganini’s Theme by Michael Garson, and Joseph Bowman (Professor of Trumpet, Mahidol Unversity) played Hymn for the Lost and the Living, a Chris Gekker arrangement of an Eric Ewazen piece. The concert ended with Raksaraj, Bowman and Srisunanrat performing Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury by Benjamin Britten, and finally, all the performers joined together on Galliard Battaglia by Samuel Scheidt. Day Two After a warmup session, students performed in master classes, and received coaching from the artist faculty. This was followed by a student performance featuring the Trombone Choir from Kasetsart University. After a lunch break, Ed Cord was joined by Steve Rosse (Principal Tuba, Sydney Symphony), Supreeti Ansvananda (Principal Horn, Hong Kong Sinfonietta) and Mizuho Kojima (Euphonium Soloist) for a presentation titled “It’s Just a Piece of Metal”. Geared towards younger students, the presentation attempted to dispel many of the myths surrounding brass playing. Several Thailand educators also took part in the presentation, which gave the audience a good deal of valuable information. The horn artist faculty gave a recital, featuring several solo works and horn ensemble pieces. Performing on the recital were Krit Vikornvongvanich (Thailand), Joe Kirtley (Hong Kong), Supreeti Ansvananda (Hong Kong), Vichan Chinnavirojpisan (Thailand), Chanakorn Panmuan (Thailand), Nantawat Waranich (Thailand), and Chalermchai Nattasead (Thailand). Next, Ed Cord and Lertkiat Chongjirajitra hosted a session which discussed exercises from a new trumpet method written by Chongjirajitra, one of the first books written and published for Thai students. They discussed ways to practice a variety of technical exercises, and how to approach challenging aspects of trumpet playing, step by step. After this session, the entire artist faculty gathered together for a reading session of orchestral excerpts, which Ed Cord conducted. For many of the students in the audience, this was their first exposure to some of the great orchestral music. Cord encouraged all the students to attend classical music concerts, so that they can help to strengthen the growth and development of brass playing in Thailand. Day Two concluded with a jazz jam session hosted by Sompop Puengpreeda (Professor of Trumpet, Mahidol University). Sompop played a variety of jazz standards, and several of the artist faculty joined him, in a fun ending to an eventful day. Day Three The final day of the Thailand Brass Festival begin with a clinic by Steve Rosse, in which he discussed the importance of breathing practice, and gave many helpful exercises to students, so that they might better develop their air flow and breathing. This session was followed by a student performance by the Hong Kong Academy Horn Quartet. Following a lunch break, Joe Kirtley (Professor of Horn, Hong Kong Academy gave a clinic titled “Golf Clubs and Horns”. In the session, Kirtley compared the process of successful brass playing with the process of becoming a great golfer. By using many analogies, he focused on the similarities in preparation between the two sports, and also on the mental aspects of preparation. Following a final break, the Festival came to a close with a brass ensemble concert featuring the entire artist faculty. Ed Cord conducted the concert which opened with a premier, Suedama Salute by Apisit Wongchoti. The concert continued with the first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach, A Requiem in Our Time by Elno Juhani Rautavaara, and concluded with Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man . The closing ceremonies featured several addresses, including a very moving speech by Festival Director Ed Cord, where he praised the amazing job done by Festival Host Lertkiat Chongjirajitra. He concluded by saying that events like this are wonderful and collaborative efforts, and the student musicians of Thailand are fortunate that so many talented and caring performers and teachers were able to come together for this memorable festival. Websites:
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