Message from Festival Director Chulalongkorn University Choral Festival celebrates its seventh anniversary this year! We started the festival in 2014 with a purpose of creating a space for choirs to come together to learn and sing in a friendly, non-competitive, and educational atmosphere. Seven years later, this festival is still one-of-a-kind in Thailand. Having arrived at our seven year’s mark, I thank past guest clinicians who left their footprints on our journey. They worked long and hard to make every festival a success, and have contributed to the continuing growth of the event. As years gone by, we continue to look back on what we can improve, and at the same time, look ahead toward where we want to go. I am thankful that I have had many opportunities to work with school choir directors throughout the country, and have come to understand what they need, but still lacking, to be better for the students. This helps with my strife to better accommodate participants and to give them more each year. This year, the idea of having two clinicians in our festival is entirely new. As participants posses different backgrounds, experiences, and goals, I hope that having two clinicians will give them choices of session that best benefit them. Thank you Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand and Dr. John Hooper for being part of this year’s festival and making this happen. I am grateful for where the festival is now, and can never thank everyone enough for being part of making this festival a possibility. You know who you are! Pawasut Piriyapongrat, DMA Festival Director
Jason Max Ferdinand Clinician Jason Max Ferdinand is a Full Professor, Chair of the Music Department, and Director of Choral Activities at Oakwood University where he conducts the Aeolians of Oakwood University. A native of Trinidad & Tobago, Ferdinand received his Bachelor of Arts degree in piano from the Oakwood College (now Oakwood University), the Master of Arts in Choral Conducting from Morgan State University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Maryland. As a doctoral student, Dr. Ferdinand was privileged to have studied under the heedful eyes of Dr. Edward MaClary who is a protĂŠgĂŠ of the late Robert Shaw and also studied and collaborated with Helmuth Rilling, Margaret Hillis and Robert Page. During his time at the university, he served as co-director for the University Choir and was an assistant conductor for the Chamber Singers and the Maryland Chorus. In addition, he taught undergraduate conducting classes. In the summer of 2006, Ferdinand was selected to lead the Summer Choral Festival Program at the University of Maryland. Jim Ross, a former pupil of Kurt Masur and Leonard Bernstein served as his orchestral conducting teacher. The late Dr. Nathan Carter at Morgan State University changed the life of Dr. Ferdinand in a potent way. He served as graduate assistant to Dr. Carter and it was here that a true and clear vision for his life work was formed. Dr. Ferdinand attained his undergraduate degree in piano performance at Oakwood University. He studied piano with Dr. Wayne Bucknor. Dr. Lloyd Mallory was his choral director and he was afforded the opportunity to serve as student conductor, student accompanist and had his arrangements performed.
Under Dr. Ferdinand’s baton, the Aeolians of Oakwood University have graced stages the world over. Their repertoire of choral music which ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century has been sought after and performed at venues throughout the USA, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Canada, Poland, Romania, Great Britain, Russia, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Hungary. Capping off a successful 2011 – 2012 Concert Series which saw the Aeolians visiting Moscow, Russia as part of the Russia-US Bilateral Presidential Commission on development of cooperation between Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, they made their inaugural entrance at the 7th World Choir Games held in Cincinnati, USA, resulting in the choir earning gold medals in all three categories of entrance and the overall championship for the Spiritual category. In October 2015, Ferdinand made his debut at Carnegie Hall conducting the Aeolians, the Altino Brothers Concert Chorale and the Beyond Boundaries Symphony Orchestra. Later that month, Ferdinand directed the Aeolians as they accompanied the world acclaimed soprano, Kathleen Battle at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in her, “Underground Railroad: A spiritual Journey” Concert Series. In January 2016, Ferdinand directed the Alabama Symphony Orchestra as they accompanied the Aeolians in a collaborated annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The summer of 2017 was a highlight in Dr. Ferdinand’s career. Having attended the LLangollen International Musical Festival, in Wales, UK as a doctoral student with the University of Maryland in 2007, he returned as the director of the Aeolians of Oakwood University and won the coveted “2017 Choir of the World” award along with the event’s first ever “Most Outstanding Director” award. In 2018 his choir won three gold medals in the 10th World Choir Games held in South Africa. Additionally, they were the overall champions in both the University Choir and Spiritual categories. In February of 2019, Dr. Ferdinand and his ensemble, made their debut at the National American Choral Directors Association conference. The performance was monumental and it was said that “they broke ACDA”.
Ferdinand maintains an active schedule as a presenter, adjudicator and guest conductor for high schools, collegiate, and church choirs throughout North America, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. A choral series bearing the name of Jason Max Ferdinand is now in circulation by Walton Music publishers. He continues to actively compose and to mentor up-and-becoming composers. His greatest passion is watching those who he has mentored as conductors and composers, become conductors and composers in their own right. Dr. Ferdinand loves to teach and was named “Teacher of the Year� for the 2017/18 school year by Oakwood University. Dr. Ferdinand is thankful for his parents, Dr. T. Leslie and Mary Ferdinand who are both retired educators. His siblings Alva Ferdinand, J.D., Ph.D. and Abdelle Ferdinand, M.D. tribute any academic accomplishments they have attained to their parents. Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand is married to Meka, who is a registered nurse and they are the parents of Caleb, Ava and baby Jamē.
John Hooper Clinician Professor Emeritus at Concordia University of Edmonton Dr. John Hooper served as Professor and Director of the School of Music. In addition to conducting several choral and handbell ensembles, he taught conducting, choral technique, theory and aural skills, among others. Currently he is an examiner for the London College of Music through the University of West London. His work has taken him throughout southeast and south-central Asia as well as Africa and the Middle East. He has served as an evaluator and adjudicator for the Singapore Youth Festival, the Indonesia University Sacred Choral Festival Pesparawi, A Voyage of Songs (Thailand), the North Sumatra International Choral Competition (Indonesia), the City of Hobart (Australia) Eisteddfod, the Hong Kong Handbell Olympics, the Handbells Asia Festival in Malaysia, and several local festivals throughout Alberta. He was a guest clinician at Choralfest South in Calgary, sponsored by the Alberta Choral Federation, at the Canadian Cantando Festival in Edmonton, as for several local and international ensembles. He has also developed and led professional development seminars in foundational conducting, a guide to rehearsal, expressive musicianship, and techniques for voice and handbells. These programs, along with his particular interest in Canadian and sacred choral repertoire, has led to many conference and workshop presentations, including those for the Choral Directors Association of Singapore, the North Sumatra International Choir Competition, Ars Choralis (Croatia) Australian National Choral Association, Handbell Society of Australasia, Handbell Ringers of Japan, Philippine
Choral Directors Association, Singapore Ministry of Education, American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, Alberta Guild of English Handbell Ringers, Handbell Guilds of Canada, Alberta Choral Federation, Music Alberta, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association, and residencies in Indonesia and Australia. As a choral conductor, he has led many university, community, semi-professional, secondary school, and church choirs. The Concordia Concert Choir, under his leadership, continued its long tradition by expanding its repertoire, visibility, and performance opportunities. The choir toured extensively, including Canada, the United States, and Europe. In addition, they were invited to sing at music festivals, choral conferences, teacher conventions, and special events for the church and the community. Under Hooper’s direction, the choir released three compact discs: an anniversary recording for the 75th anniversary of the institution, O Lord of Life and the most recent, simply titled 3. Concert performances and recordings have received excellent reviews – a “bona fide died-and-gone-to-heaven experience,” according to the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. He also was the founding conductor of Sine Nomine, a community-based young adult choir started in 2000 to focus on sacred choral music. Dr. Hooper has been a guest choral conductor for The King’s University, the Alberta Honour Choir, Australia’s Big Sing, Men Making Music in Edmonton, and Edmonton’s Da Camera Singers Dr. Hooper established the handbell program at Concordia, having conducted the Concordia Handbell Ensemble and Jubiloso!, an auditioned community handbell choir which has twice performed at the Handbell Guilds of Canada’s biennial national convention, The Ringing Link. He was invited by the Handbell Guilds of Canada to be the Canadian conductor at the International Handbell Symposium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and in Osaka, Japan. He was also a featured conductor at Belleship in Hong Kong, the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain‘s National Residential Ringing Week, the Handbell Ringers of Japan‘s National Festival, Hong Kong’s International Handbell Festival, Handbell Asia Festival in Malaysia, as well as
Canada’s national festival, The Ringing Link, in London, Ontario, and Classic Bronze in Edmonton, Alberta. He has written and arranged music for handbells, choirs, and other instruments. Several of his works have won the Fred Merrett Contest for New Compositions sponsored by the Alberta Guild of English Handbell Ringers, including Introspection, Intrada, Gathering, Toccata, and Agnus Dei. The latter two are published by From the Top Publishing. Passacaglia Chromatica was honoured by Portland, Oregon’s Bells of the Cascades in their Composition Contest. Toccata was the Canadian composition featured at the International Handbell Symposium in Liverpool, England and Gathering was performed by the Festival Choir at the International Handbell Symposium in Vancouver, B.C. Commissioned to write for the 100th anniversary of Robertson-Welsey United Church, Hooper set A New Creed, which was received with acclaim by those present, including the moderator of the United Church of Canada. A Choral Compline was premiered by The Kong’s University combined choirs in December 2018. The Strawberry Grows, for women’s choir was featured in SkirtsAfire HERarts Festival. His setting of Io Vivat will be premiered by Pro Coro Canada in November 2016. Several hymn arrangements and historical editions have been performed locally and internationally. Dr. Hooper’s interest in choral repertoire has resulted in presentations at the American Choral Directors’ Association Northwest Division Conference on Canadian sacred a cappella choral music and the Royal Canadian College of Organists national conference on choral-organ repertoire, the Philippine Choral Directors Association on Canadian choral music, as well as
the Association of Canadian Choral Communities and the Australia National Choral Association on the music of Robin John King. Furthermore, he worked on a Compendium of Sacred Canadian Choral Music through an internal research grant from the Centre for Scholarship and the Christian Faith. His academic focus is on conducting and pedagogy, resulted in a set of three videos, The Art & Work of Choir, designed for the novice choir director, which are regularly broadcast on ACCESS-TV. His articles and reviews have appeared in The Music Alberta Magazine, ACF’s Quires, the Canadian Lutheran, the Manitoba Music Educator, and the ACDA Choral Journal. As an active singer, Dr. Hooper performed as a professional chorister, having sung with Pro Coro Canada, Da Camera Singers, and the Phoenix Bach Choir. He is a member and served on boards of the Choral Canada, the Choirs Alberta Choral, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Alberta Guild of English Handbell Ringers. In addition, he has served the church through presentations and guest conducting at conferences and symposia sponsored by Lutheran Church-Canada, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Camp Pioneer (Angola, NY), and the Edmonton Chinese Christian Choir. He has also served as chair of the Lutheran Church-Canada’s Committee on Worship and Music. He earned his D.M.A. in choral music from Arizona State University as well as degrees in theory and composition from A.S.U. and James Madison University in Virginia. Dr. Hooper furthered his studies under Dr. Richard Sparks, Maestro Frieder Bernius, Maestro Peter Phillips, and Dr. René Clausen through grants from the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund.
Chulalongkorn University Choral Festival 2020 Schedule Friday, February 14, 2020 Venue: Chamchuri 9 Bldg. 9:30-10:00 Registration 10:00 Opening 10:00-12:00 Dr. Jason: The Negro Spiritual: The Nuts and Bolts Come take a journey from the origin of this wonderful genre of music. Let us explore what it is and what it is NOT! “เพลงสปิริชวลของชาวผิวดา: ข้อควรรู้ขั้นพื้นฐาน" มาร่วมค้นหาเส้นทางของดนตรีที่งดงามประเภทนี้ตั้งแต่จุดเริ่มต้นด้วยกัน 12:00-13:00 Break 13:00-15:00 Dr. Jason: Clinic I Dr. John: Basic Conducting I 13:00-13:30 13:30-14:00 14:00-14:30 14:30-15:00
CU Concert Choir ISB Middle School Combined Choir ISB High School Combined Choir AU Chorus
15:00-15:30 Break 15:30-17:30 Dr. Jason: Mass Choir Rehearsal I
(No Demo Choir)
Saturday, February 15, 2020 Venue: Chulalongkorn University Music Hall 10:00-12:00
Dr. Jason: "Hello, my name is Jason Max Ferdinand and I am an addict..." We all strive to be excellent at what we do. What are the pillars that can lead to success? Let’s talk about creative programming that incorporates technical aspects of the music as well. "สวัสดีครับ ผมชื่อ Jason Max Ferdinand และผมเป็นผู้เสพย์ติด..." ทุ ก คนต่ า งอยากเป็ น เลิ ศ ในสิ่ ง ที่ ท า แต่ อ ะไรคื อ หลั ก ส าคั ญ ที่ จ ะน าพาไปสู่ ความสาเร็จ มาสนทนากันถึง โปรแกรมสร้างสรรค์ที่รวบรวมแง่มุมด้านเทคนิ กของ ดนตรีกัน 12:00-13:00 Break 12:30-12:50 Harmonic Noises: Sound Check
13:00-15:00 Dr. Jason: Clinic II 13:00-13:30 13:30-14:00 14:00-14:30 14:30-15:00
BMS SU Gospel Choir Harmonic Noises KMITL Chorus
15:05-15:25 SSRU: Sound Check 15:30-17:30 Dr. Jason: Mass Choir Rehearsal 15:30-16:00 II 16:00-16:30 16:30-17:00 17:00-17:30
17:30-19:00 Sound Check 17:30-17:50 17:55-18:15 18:20-18:40 18:45-19:00
Siam Ruby BMS KMITL SU Gospel
19:30-21:00 Concert
Dr. John: Basic Conducting II (CUCC as Demo Choir)
Dr. John: Clinic III YMO Siam Ruby SSRU Chorus KU Concert Choir
Concert Program Siam Ruby Women Choir หนึ่งในร้อย
คาร้อง แก้ว อัจฉริยะกุล ทานอง สง่า อารัมภีร์ เรียบเรียง ธนาวุฒิ ศรีวัฒนะ
กระซิบสวาท
เนื้อร้อง ชาตรี ทานอง เอื้อ สุนทรสนาน เรียบเรียง ธนาวุฒิ ศรีวัฒนะ
Music, When Soft Voices Die Kalinka
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) Arr. Victor C. Johnson Ivan Larionov Arr. Audrey Snyder
Pianist: Kornthida Khotawanich Conductor: Thanawut Sriwattana
Bangkok Music Society Now is the month the Maying Mae-e Dirait-on Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace Piano: Morakot Cherchungarm Conductor: Saranya Saratham
Thomas Morley Kentaro Sato Morten Lauridsen Mary McDonald
SSRU Chorus Matona mia cara Izar Ederrak Man In The Mirror
Orlando di Lasso(1532-1594) Josu Elberdin (b. 1976) Glen Ballard and Seidah garrett Arr. Annie Nepomucceno
Conductor: Sukanut Posrisook Assistant Conductor: Chananart Minanandana
Silpakorn University Gospel Choir Hold on Just a Little While Longer You Are the Living Word Holy Spirit
Traditional Fred Hammond (b. 1960) Richard Smallwood (b. 1948)
Piano/Conductor: Julian Cary
Harmonic Noises Muusika
Pärt Uusberg (b. 1986)
Flight Song
Kim AndrĂŠ Arnesen (b. 1980)
True Colors
Arr. Jesse Hampsch (b. 1992)
Piano: Pornvarin Kansirisin Conductor: Supitcha Kansirisin
King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Chorus Notre Père (The Lord’s Prayer) Éyze shéleg! and Rakút From Five Hebrew Love Songs Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You Violin: Khongchai Greesuradej Piano: Chonnakarn Sri-Utai Conductor: Kajornsak Kittimathaveenan
Maurice Duruflè (1902-1986) Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio Arr. Ed Lojeski
Sunday, February 16, 2020 Venue: Chulalongkorn University Music Hall 10:00-12:00 Dr. Jason: Conducting Master Class (4 Conductors/ Demo Choir: CUCC)
12:00-13:00 Break 13:00-15:00 Dr. Jason: Mass Choir Rehearsal III
15:15-17:00 Sound Check 15:15-15:35 15:40-16:10 16:15-16:35 16:40-17:00
KUCC AU CUCC YMO
17:30-19:00 Gala Concert
Concert Program YMO ฉันจะฝันถึงเธอ
ดนู ฮันตระกูล เรียบเรียง ธนาวุฒิ ศรีวัฒนะ
ขอมือเธอหน่อย
คาร้อง นิติพงษ์ ห่อนาค ทานอง โสฬส ปุณกะบุตร เรียบเรียง วัฒนกร ศรีวัง เรียบเรียงเสียงประสาน - ธนาวุฒิ ศรีวัฒนะ
Johnny Said No! Music When Soft Voices Die Piano: Thanapat Promsawang Conductor: Thanawut Sriwattana
Vijay Singh Arr. Victor C. Johnson
Kasetsart University Concert Choir Cantate Sing to the Lord In The Name Of Music
Jim Leininger (b. 1942) Victor C. Johnson (b. 1978)
Piano: Pornvarin Kansirisin Conductor: Supitcha Kansirisin
Assumption University Chorus Cantate Domino All Is Found Rise Up! Rejoice!
Mark Hayes (b.1953) Mark Brymer (b.1962) Joseph M. Martin (b.1959)
Piano: Chanida Sub-udomkul Conductor: Porntep Vitchuchaichan
Chulalongkorn University Concert Choir The Dark Eyed Sailor From Five English Folksongs
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Izar Ederrak (The Beautiful Star)
Josu Elberdin (b. 1976)
I Carry Your Heart with Me
David Dickau (b. 1953)
Piano: Thanunya Jaturanont Conductor: Pawasut Piriyapongrat
Festival Choir Bound for Canaan Lan’
Traditional Spiritual Arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Deep River
Traditional Spiritual Arr. Mark Hayes
I Sing Because I’m Happy
Piano: Thanunya Jaturanont Conductor: Jason Max Ferdinand
Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932) Arr. Kenneth Paden Adapted by Rollo Dilworth