Top Chinese talent due in concert
It's classics to the fore as the Peiing Alumni Association marks 70 years on February 28
THE PEIING Alumni Association – which promotes Thai interest in the Chinese language and culture – is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a “Peiing Relations Concert” featuring the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra conducted by young Chinese conductor Xiao Chao.
It’s set for February 28 at the Grand Hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre.
Association president Malee Luangsuwimol expresses gratitude for the “great support” of the alumni of Peiing Public School, especially Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, a major sponsor of the event.
Also onstage will be Ting Xia Er, master of the guzheng, a zither with moveable bridges, along with mezzo-soprano Teeranai Na Nongkhai and Saran Koongbanphot, winner of the Thailand Junior Singing Contest in 1991.
Ting Xia Er will be performing classic love tunes such as “Butterfly Lover” and “Horse Racing”, and Chinese singers will offer both classical and contemporary Chinese songs, among them “Zai Na Yao Yuan De Di Fang”, “Yang Guang Lu Sang” and “Da Di Fai Ge”.
Ting Xia Er, recognised as one of the best guzheng players in the world, has won numerous awards and has been invited to play at such leading institutes as the Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music and Princeton University. You might have seen her performing during the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The association’s recent press conference unveiling plans for the concert afforded Ting her first chance to visit Thailand, and she was happy to perform for the assembled media.
Xiao Chao is the popular conductor of both the Sichuan and Xi’an symphony orchestras and recently won the International Music Competition. He frequently takes part in concerts and music festivals abroad, promoting the music of his homeland and the exchange of culture.
Malee points out that the alumni association runs the Sermit Kindergarten – a prep school for Peiing Public School – on Pattanakarn Road Soi 44, as well as four futsal courts for children and a club for the elderly.
Peiing Public School – the word “peiing” means “academic creation” in Tae Chew – was founded in 1916 by Chinese immigrants and is run by the Tae Chew Association of Thailand.
Located in a colonial-style building on Songwat Road in Sampanthawong district, it is Thailand’s oldest Chinese-language school. Tae Chew was the only classroom language at the beginning, but the curriculum now embraces Thai, English and Mandarin as well.
Along with Charoen, prominent alumni include Som and Somkid Jatusripitak, Paiboon Damrongchaitham, Samarn Opaswong and Vichit Suraphongchai.
Seats for the concert cost Bt300 to Bt3,000 at ThaiTicketMajor.com. Find out more from the alumni association at (02) 321 8415-6 or the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation at (02) 255 6617-8.
