Botlakorn “Naitai” Chandruang

Music Director & Music Teacher, Kumut Chandruang Foundation / Moradokmai Theater Community

Industry : The Arts

Botlakorn, or Naitai, is the son of National Artist Janaprakal Chandruang, from whom he inherited his artistic passions for theatre and music. He grew up within his father’s Moradokmai Theatre Community and Homeschool which educates through theatre, music and traditional values and Buddhist philosophies. He was trained to be an actor and Thai classical musician, travelled around the world with the theatre group, then attended Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Music where he explored jazz music. He had a challenging year, working on his “Thai Derm in Seasons” project where he he selected seven songs from his childhood by Luang Pradit Phairoh (Sorn Silpabanleng), his great grandfather, and converted the melodies into jazz renditions, matched to Thailand’s three seasons; and led the group’s young musicians on a two month tour in Europe. The “Thai Derm in Seasons'''' project was recently presented in a successful concert putting him at the forefront of Thailand’s young composers and musicians. It also launched his mission to use jazz music creation to entice his own generation to discover the beauty of traditional Thai music, a mission for which he hopes to be remembered one day.