ANANT NARKKONG

Composer, Ethnomusicologist, Writer and Traveler 

​

Born in 1965, grew up in several places before settled down in a quiet Bangyikun district along Chaopraya river where he enjoyed art and music environment there. After earning his B.F.A. in Thai Music from Chulalongkorn University in 1989, Anant went to SOAS, University of London for his M.Phil study in Ethnomusicology. His comprehensively journeys in Southeast Asia countries, both mainland and islands made his acquaintance into Musical Cultures of this area. Since 1983, he founded a fusion music group Korphai (means a bunch of Bamboo) which internationally renowned for its excellent rendition of Thai Classical Music as well as Thai Contemporary Music. Throughout the past 30 years, Korphai group has released a number of CD albums and has performed in numerous public concerts in Thailand and aboard. The group also extensively involved in making background for Thai films, documentaries, theatres, plays and festival presentations. In 2004, his group has worked on original music for a successful Thai film “Homrong (the Overture)“, inspired by his socio-music historical book - life story of the greatest Thai xylophonist and composer Luang Pradithphairoh. The film and its music received highly acclaimed by international media critics and general public. Other of his interests in music are Improvisation performance, Soundscape, Fieldwork recordings, sound installations and Theatre works. He usually collaborates with Theatre and Dance companies. Recently he plays a role of Music Director at Pattravadi Theatre at Vic HuaHin and has been produced many challenging contemporary theatre projects such as PraLor (2008-11), Wiwah Prasamut (2012) and Rocking Rama (2013). He hosts 3 weekly radio programs in Thai music and World music at the Parliament Radio Broadcasting Station as well as Khonmuang Radio online. Anant writes and publishes a large number of articles in Musicology - Cultural Anthropology area for newspaper and monthly magazines. Since 2008 until now, Anant represents a specialist in Thai music for the Ministry of Culture Thailand and hold a status of working committee member of Asia Traditional Orchestra, ATO and Asia Traditional Ensemble, ATE which produced a number of new ASEAN-Korea compositions and concerts every year. Also, since 2015 he established the uniquely C-ASEAN Consonant youth ensemble under the initiative supported by Thai Beverage Company Ltd and serves as the Music Director of the project.

 

At present he works at the Faculty of Music, Silpakorn University as a full-time lecturer in Ethnomusicology, World Music, and Composition subjects.