Message from Festival Director
In 2014, the Chulalongkorn University Choral Festival began with my dear mentor, the late Dr. William Dehning, then Professor Emeritus of Choral Music at the University of Southern California, serving as the clinician. Since that inaugural event, choral activities at Chulalongkorn University have thrived continuously. Through these years we remain focused on enhancing the choral landscape in Thailand. Our goal is to elevate choir standards through better-trained and informed choral personnel and to foster a supportive and collaborative choral community. Reflecting on our journey over the past decade, we acknowledge that there is still progress to be made, but we are confident that we are on the right path.
This year, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand as the festival's leader. Renowned as one of the most sought-after choral conductors in the US over the past 4-5 years, he was with us in 2020, just before the world faced a lockdown. We are excited to have him return to share his musical expertise with us once again.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to all past and present festival clinicians, choirs, their directors, participants, and everyone involved for making these ten years of festivals possible. While this may be our final event for the year, we are eagerly looking forward to more exciting activities in 2025. Stay tuned!
Until next time!
Dr. Pawasut Jodi Piriyapongrat Chualongkorn University Choral Festival Director
CONCERT PROGRAM
Saturday August 10, 2024, 19:30
Sahai
Somewhere Somehow
HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927-2016)
Khunying Malaiwal Boonyaratavej (b.1932)
What Matters Most Dave Grusin (b. 1934) and Alan (b. 1925) & Marilyn Bergman (1928-2022) arr. Arnold Zamora
Words arr. Ander Edenroth
Conductor: Sarana Shukla
Lao Khamhom
O-Chai Oei
Songkran
Thai percussions: Amanut Chantarawirote, Kassamapohn Penglengdee, Isaree Pornsirianan, Nutthanun Yongpruksa
Conductor: Pawasut Piriyapongrat
Loy Kratong arr. Kaiwan Kulvadhanothai
Deep River Spiritual arr. Russell Robinson
Justitiae Domine
Michael John Trotta (b. 1978)
Salmo 150 Ernani Aguiar (b. 1950)
Conductor: Thanisorn Rongkeaw
King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
Count the Stars Andy Becks (N.D.)
Dirait-on Morten Lauridsen (b, 1943)
Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel arr. Jay Althouse
Piano: Lapasrada Sukakarnpadoong
Conductor: Sukanat Phosrisuk
MU Men’s Choir
Mahidol University
Go Down Moses arr. Moses Hogan
Steal Away arr. Howard Helvey
Go the Distance arr. Aaron Dale
Piano: Surakarn Bhaksriwong
Conductor: Yotsawan Meethongkum
Mahidol University
I Can Tell The World Traditional Spiritual arr. Moses Hogan Let Everything That Hath Breath
Piano: Pitipat Chitchulanon
Conductor: Dr. Rit Subsomboon
MU Choir
A Jubilant Song Rene Clausen (b. 1953)
Jeffery L. Ames (b. 1969)
Sunday August 11, 2024, 17:30
The Nightingales
At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners Williametta Spencer (b. 1927)
La Belle se sied au pied de la tour Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
False Love Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Piano: Ornkamol Nawaphol
Conductors: Thanat Mongkolrerks, Nutthanun Yongpruksa, Koravit Singphet
Infinite 8 Choir
(Ramwong Rerng Songkran)
Kaew Atchariyakul (1915-1981) arr. Pitipat Chitchulanon
Sōran Bushi Japanese Traditional arr. Elliot R. Wold
O Love
Soon Ah Will Be Done
Piano: Napasorn Sripan
Conductor: Pitipat Chitchulanon
Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
William L. Dawson (1899-1990)
Oh! What a Beautiful City
Arranged with Additional Lyrics by Rollo Dilworth จันทร์ – Chan (Moon)
Music &Lyrics by Jesada Hunchor
Arranged by Thanawut Sriwattana กุหลำบขำว – Gularbkhao (White Rose)
Music &Lyrics by Thanawut Sriwattana
Arranged by Thanawut Sriwattana
Cindy, Cindy Traditional American arr. Dan Walker
Pianist: Kornthida Khotawanich
Conductor: Thanawut Sriwattana
PGVIM Princess Choir
Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music
Prayer of St. Francis arr. Robert Delgado
Amor de mi alma
Z. Randall Stroope (b. 1953)
Coordinator: Puntwitt Asawadejmetakul
Bangkok Consort Singers
Madonna, sua mercé, pur una sera
Veni, veni Emmanuel Zoltán Kodály (1882 - 1967)
My Lord, What a Morning arr. Harry T. Burleigh
If I Fell arr. Audrey Snyder
Conductor: Pathorn Swasdisuk
Luca Marenzio (1553 - 1599)
Chulalongkorn University Concert Choir
Alleluia Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
Sure on This Shining Night Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)
Ad Astra Jacob Narverud (b. 1989)
Piano: Thanunya Jaturanont
Conductor: Pawasut Piriyapongrat
Gloria from Missa Solumnis, K. 139 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) arr. Patrick M. Liebergen
River Song arr. Jason Max Ferdinand and Stephen M. Murphy
The Call of Music Joseph M. Martin (b. 1959)
Piano: Thanunya Jaturanont
Conductor: Jason Max Ferdinand
Jason Max Ferdinand Clinician and Guest Conductor
Jason Max Ferdinand serves as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Maryland, College Park. He assumed the role in Fall of 2022. He is very humbled to be standing on the shoulders of his mentor, Edward Maclary, who has guided the choral program for 20+ years.
Jason Max Ferdinand, Professor –Conductor – Composer – Speaker, is the founding artistic director of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers: An Ensemble of Exceptional Talents, and was the director of choral activities, chair of the music department, and a full professor at Oakwood University, where he conducted the Aeolians of Oakwood University. He is a published author and composer with GIA Publications, featuring the book, Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series (Walton Music).
A native of Trinidad & Tobago, Ferdinand received his Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from Oakwood College (now Oakwood University), his Master of Arts in Choral Conducting from Morgan State University, and his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Maryland. He attributes a lot of his success to the many influential people and experiences that helped shape him into who he is today.
During his undergraduate experience at Oakwood College, he studied piano with Dr. Wayne Bucknor and was also afforded the opportunity to serve as student conductor and student accompanist, as well as have some of his arrangements performed under Dr. Lloyd Mallory, his choral director. While he was obtaining his Master of Arts in Choral Conducting, the late Dr. Nathan Carter of Morgan State University changed his life in a potent way. Ferdinand served as graduate assistant to Dr. Carter, and that is when a true and clear vision for his life work was formed
As a doctoral student, Ferdinand was privileged to study under the heedful eyes of Dr Edward Maclary, who is a protégé of the late Robert Shaw. During his time at the University of Maryland, he served as codirector 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, he was selected to lead the Summer Choral Festival Program at the University of Maryland, and Jim Ross, a former pupil of Kurt Masur and Leonard Bernstein, served as his orchestral conducting teacher.
In 2008, Ferdinand began his tenure at Oakwood University as director of choral activities as well as director of the Aeolians of Oakwood University. 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 twenty-first century, has been sought after and performed at venues throughout the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Canada, Poland, Romania, Great Britain, Russia, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Hungary. Their 2011–12 Concert Series was extremely noteworthy, as the Aeolians visited Moscow, Russia, as part of the Russia-US Bilateral Presidential Commission on development of cooperation between Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. They capped off this Series with their inaugural entrance at the 7th World Choir Games held in Cincinnati, Ohio, 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, he directed the Aeolians as they accompanied world-acclaimed soprano Kathleen Battle at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, Alabama, as part of her “Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey” Concert Series. In January 2016, he returned to the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center to direct the Alabama Symphony Orchestra as they accompanied the Aeolians in a collaborated annual Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute.
The summer of 2017 was a highlight in 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 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 2019, the Aeolians performed at the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). The performance garnered a lot of attention and some even commented, “They broke the ACDA.” The ensemble was also selected to be the feature choir at the National Collegiate Choral Organization conference, which was held at the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2023, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, will perform at the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association.
He maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and lecturer at schools, universities, churches, and choral festivals and conferences, domestic and international. He is energized when he gets the chance to make music with All-state and festival choirs.
His ensembles have most recently released recordings, The Aeolians (2019) and Solace, The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers (2021). He has enjoyed collaborations with Jacob Collier, Donald Lawrence, Take 6 and others in recent years.
Ferdinand serves on the board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) and is a former board member of the Alabama American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He maintains an active schedule as a presenter, adjudicator, and guest conductor in America, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. He continues to actively compose and enjoys mentoring up-and- coming composers. His greatest passion is watching those who he has mentored as conductors and composers become conductors and composers in their own right. He loves to teach and was named “Teacher of the Year” for the 2017–18 school year by Oakwood University.
Cultural maladies presented during the year of the pandemic inspired the compilation of Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music to provide support and encouragement for music educators. The unique circumstances of 2021 also opened a creative opportunity to birth The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers in a
virtual concert Live from London - Spring! The ensemble began its unifying journey to breathe life into choral works of underrepresented composers and positively affect the cultural health of our world.
Jason Max Ferdinand is thankful for his parents, Dr. T. Leslie and Mary Ferdinand, who are both retired educators. He and his siblings, Alva Ferdinand, JD, PhD, and Abdelle Ferdinand, MD, attribute any academic accomplishments they have attained to their parents. He is married to Meka, who is a registered nurse, and they are the parents of Caleb, Ava, and baby Jamē.
