Friends of the Chiang Mai Music Festival
This dedicated and compatible group of music lovers and Festival supporters was formed in 2009 after careful discussions between Jean-Pierre and Anne Murase who are the Co-founders of Friends of the Chiang Mai Music Festival. Originally, this group had two principal aims:
- To raise as much money as possible in order to help fund the main Chiang Mai Music Festival
- To provide a year round series of recitals for members, thus bringing simply beautiful classical music to the Chiang Mai community throughout the year.
In its first very successful year, the Friends group fully achieved both of these aims and even exceeded them. The initial plan was to hold four quarterly recitals at the Murase home in the beautiful and intimate music salon during the first full year - but we ended up with nine recitals! Our initial target sum of money was exceeded by 35% helping the 2011 Festival to go ahead full steam! Much of this was due to the generosity of members who grew to love the Friends group, one member calling our recitals "the new cultural centre of Chiang Mai".
The initial aims have been supplemented now so that the recitals often are preceded by high quality lectures on one of the featured composers or focusing on the musical compositions to be performed; transport is provided to and from the Murase home; a dining-out group meets occasionally prior to recitals; social events have taken place including two special meals followed by a lecture and DVD with one member hosting a cocktail reception beforehand. There has even been one trip to a unique musical event in Bangkok with others planned. The group has grown robustly and at the last count boasted 80 paid-up members with a wonderfully international background - USA and Canada, Europe, Africa, South-East Asia and Australasia. After the first two "launch recitals", visiting artists have played to a full house on every occasion. When scheduling allows, some of our artists offer master-classes to local music students.
From inception to the present day we have welcomed the following performers:
- Ong-Ard Kanchaisak, Thai counter-tenor (twice)
- Remi Namthep, Thai pianist
- Bennett Lerner, USA pianist teaching and performing in Thailand
- Tasana Nagavajara, Thai violinist (twice)
- Sun-Ah Kim, Korean pianist and teacher
- Yoko Kakishita, Japanese pianist and teacher
- Thaya Kongpakpaisarn, Thai pianist studying at Eastman School of Music in New York state, USA - he gave two performances
- Sek Thongsuwan, Thai pianist and teacher studying in St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia
- Victor Goldberg, Russian-born Israeli pianist of international renown and now finishing his doctorate at Peabody Conservatory of Music
- Pornphan Banternghansa, Thai pianist and accompanist
- Santi Saengthong, Thai pianist and accompanist
- Han-Nah Son, Korean pianist and teacher who performed twice
- Jonas Dept, Belgian pianist and teacher working in Thailand
- Walter Barnes, New Zealand piano accompanist living in Thailand
- Khun Chaisit and Top – Thai woodwind players
- Khun Paradorn, local Thai bassoon player
The Friend’s group continues to thrive by providing the community of Chiang Mai with some of the best possible music on offer in south-east Asia. New members are always welcome and some recitals are now being held in other venues where there are repeat performances on consecutive evenings.
There is a full program of events for the year ahead with high quality performers already booked. Joining the Friends is simple - it costs just 1,750 baht per head for a year and this fee entitles members to free entry to all recitals; plus, there is a twice-yearly e-newsletter, Crescendo, sent to all members along with invitations to join social events in the area with additional trips to musical events further afield.
For further information:
Please contact JP at 084-868-1017 or email: kirklandjpthai@yahoo.com
You will be made very welcome!