The MU Choir performs at the Kaunas Cantat 2016 in Lithuania. Photos: Juozas Kamenskas
Mahidol University’s College of Music has been known to appear in feature films like the Thai romantic flick Season Change and to produce quality musicians for the music industry. Recently, the college’s choir increased its fame by winning honours at two international choir competitions.
Rit Subsomboon, the choir’s conductor and college professor, led the team to the international contests in May where they scooped up two awards — gold medal from the Kaunas Cantat 2016 in Lithuania, and gold and silver medals from the Mundus Cantat 2016 in Poland.
“Voice is the simplest musical instrument. There’s nothing for students to invest,” said Rit.
The brainchild of the dean of the College of Music Sugree Charoensuk, the Mahidol University Choir or MU Choir, was founded in 2011 allowing students from other faculties within Mahidol to participate in music activities.
Since then, the choir has attended and received prizes from choral competitions in Thailand and abroad. In 2012, the group won its first prize at the Moscow International Children’s and Youth Choral Festival, followed by two silver medals from the Slovakia Cantat 2013.
In both the Lithuanian and Polish contests, the MU Choir was the only Asian team participant and won awards in gospel and spiritual music, performing in Latin and English.
Rit conceded that gospel and spiritual music is an unfamiliar category for Thai choral singers. Originating in the 19th century, Christianity-influenced gospel and spiritual music expressed the African slave’s desire for freedom. Therefore, singers need to project a belief in God in order to evoke the often emotional nature of the compositions. It was quite difficult for non-Christians to understand the meaning and religious context behind the lyrics. Rit said he would share Biblical stories with students to help them find their own motivation behind the lyrics.
Adding Thai folk songs to their repertoire and wearing traditional Thai costumes helped them win the special jury prize for exceptional stage image from the Kaunas Cantat 2016. The team received favourable feedback from the audience and judges.
“One of the judges is Korean and visited Thailand 10 years ago. He was delighted when he heard that a team from Thailand was on the list of the competitors. He couldn’t believe that Thai choral bands can make such striking progress within just 10 years,” Rit said.
To prepare for competition, the choir rehearsed for eight months. Some team members succumbed to pressure and bowed out. The remaining members continued and took pride in representing their country.
“When the results came out, it was a relief to know that what we had been doing for over half-a-year was not wasted,” said soloist Prad Malakul Na Ayudhaya.
Maintaining the band’s standard is not a simple task given the MU Choir recruits new singers each year. Hundreds of singers auditioned this year. Training is therefore vital to maintain the choir’s character.
“It is easier for Westerners to sing choir, as their languages naturally encourage them to open their throat. Though our singers are trained to do so, it is unusual to always sing in that manner in Thai. So we used the first half an hour of each training session for vocalisation,” Rit explained.
“To produce a good choir, the challenge is to blend all voices and make the songs sound like they are being sung by only one vocalist. So I have to tune everyone up.” Blending different voices requires harmonious collaboration from all members. It took some time for students from various faculties to mesh.
“Seeing each other at the training sessions helps us get more acquainted,” said Prad. “Teamwork and trust are very important as is the bonding between group members. Otherwise mistakes can happen.”
The MU Choir’s achievement is another milestone for choirs in Thailand. According to Rit, the relatively new discipline is rapidly reaching international standards. State-organised choral activities are on the rise and not restricted only to big cities like Bangkok or Chiang Mai.
The recent success of the MU Choir demonstrates significant progress and can serve as an inspiration for others to seek a career in the classical music industry.
“I wanted to be the conductor of a chorus band since I was young,” said Prad. “I’m going to choose conducting as my master’s degree.”
The choir won gold medal at the Kaunas Cantat. Juozas Kamenskas
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.