Although the Million Wind Philharmonic is a relative newcomer to Bangkok’s vibrant music scene – the ensemble has only been together for four years – its first concert in nearly two years was eagerly anticipated by both players and audience alike.
The brainchild of Vichit Teerawongwiwat, piccolo player in the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Million Wind Philharmonic is a very special ensemble. It was formed to compete in a wind band competition in Thailand boasting a 1st prize of 1M Thai Baht (approx £23,500). Vichit (lovingly known as Yeah) invited all his friends and colleagues to join the ensemble and, after much rehearsal time, duly won the competition, and the ‘Million’ Wind Ensemble was born!
Yeah discussed the win with his colleagues and it was decided to put the winnings to good use and more concerts were organised along with the creation of the Million Youth Philharmonic.
I was thrilled to be invited to perform with the ensemble as guest principal trumpet and was immediately struck by the passion and commitment of the players and the high standard of performance by the students who were playing ‘side-by-side’ with the professional musicians.
The pro players are drawn from the Thailand Philharmonic, Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the talented pool of freelance musicians who give their time freely to rehearse and perform for the benefit of the Bangkok community.
The concert on Saturday 14th May 2022 took place in the Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, showcasing some of the low brass principal players as soloists, culminating in an extraordinary wind band version of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite to a capacity audience of over 300 people.
For more information about the Million Wind Philharmonic please use the following links:
All photographs courtesy of Million Wind Philharmonic
Sounding Out 