Kaiwan Kulavadhanothai

Silpathorn Artist 2020

Industry : The Arts

While studying music at Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Kaiwan met his mentor, American musician Bruce Gaston, who drew him into theatre, taught him all about composition, pop, jazz and electronic music and initiated his long-term collaboration with the Fong Nam Ensemble. It was also during this time he learned from masters such as KhruBoonyongKethong and Khru ChamnianSrithaiphan, giving him insight into the blending of Thai and western classical and contemporary music. As the conductor of the SuanPhlu Chorus, he led them to a bronze medal at the World Choir Games in 2006. Their song Ngu Kin Hang, based on traditional Thai children’s games, was performed at UNESCO in Paris in 2009. He also founded the Siang Thai Chorus, which reached the semi-finals of series six of Thailand’s Got Talent. In addition, his scores for animated film The Life of Buddha and Thai movie The 8th Day won accolades at the Suphannahong National Film Awards. He was recently named a Silpathorn Artist for 2020.