Tacet(i) Ensemble Call for Scores 2020 Winners

Blue Pole (2018) for string quartet
The term "Blue Pole"1 is derived from "The questions of Tang" which is in the fifth chapter of "The Book of Lieh-tzu" written by Lieh-tzu. Lieh-tzu(around BC400) is a famous Tao philosopher during the Warring States period in ancient China. According to this ancient mythology in “The Book of Lieh-tzu”, “Blue Pole”, an unknown thousand and millions of miles away from the East of the gulf of Chih-li, is a deep ravine without bottom under the sea. It is also a pole which receive the waters from many regions and the stream of Milky Way but its water neither shrinks nor grows. Within it there are five big baseless flowing mountains which are the places for immortals to live. Preventing the mountains from shaking and drifting to the far West, God made fifteen giant turtles carry the five mountains. Unfortunately, a giant from the kingdom of the Dragon Ear hooked six of the turtles in a bunch, then two mountains and those immortals sank in the great sea.
I believe that everyone has its own “Blue Pole”. The water from the stream of Milky Way and thousands of rivers like the flow of time, the flowing mountains inside “Blue Pole” and the immortals who live there like the carrier of your memories and many of “you” in the past, and the giant is the present “you”. You usually cannot find your blue pole as it is very far away towards present time. If you want to go to “Blue Pole”, it is extremely difficult, and you need to spend a lot of time and effort as it is deep inside your hadal zone of your soul. If you reach there, you may see your “childhood”, “true you” and “abandoned you”, etc. At that moment, you will be the “giant” and you can change everything there. However, you need to bear the consequence when you change something inside. In this composition, I would like to explore “Blue Pole” in the hadal zone of soul and to find “me” in the past. For the music, in order to enter the deep soul, I use the musical elements of shô (a free reed musical instrument), hichiriki (a double reed Japanese flute) and ryûteki (a transverse bamboo flute) from Japanese gagaku, a musical style was imported from ancient China in Tang Dynasty, in this piece to create a transparent sonority. In the final section, composer changes the sonority of cello to produce the bells sound in temple and bring everyone into another space.

LUK Wai Chun - Blue Pole (2018) for string quartet

Thailand’s leading new music ensemble, Tacet(i) is focusing on the creation of new compositions from all composers, artists, performers with elements of music technology, improvisatory and interdisciplinary. Tacet(i) premiered and collaborated with new artists and composers which performed than 50 new works in 2019. The ensemble has been performing in festivals such as Thailand New Music and Arts Festival (TNMAS), China-ASEAN New Music Festival (China), Kanazawa Cutural Exchange Project (Japan), Cornell Council of Arts (CCA, New York), Crossover Contemporary Music (Netherlands), Diffused Portrait (United Kingdom), Thailand-European Composers (Netherlands) and many more. Tacet(i) is awarded and funded by prestigious organizations and supporters such as Siam Cement Group Foundation (SCG Foundation), Thailand, Prohelvetia, Swiss Art Council (Switzerland), Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music (PGVIM, Bangkok), Cornell Council of the Arts (USA), Vasinee Food Corp (USA). Recently, the ensemble was broadcasted by CNN Worlds as a part of our director, Piyawat Louilarpprasert’s exclusive interview, “Young and Gifted the series: Meet the rebel Thai composer taking music to unheard heights. 

Tacet(i) was founded in 2013 by a group of Thai musicians with strong intention to lead the new music scene in Thailand. From 2014 – 2016, Tacet(i) had produced variety of works such as: concert music, music and arts, electronic music, and sound installation which includes “Tacet(i) Debut Concert” (College of Music Mahidol University, 2014), “CMC Experimental Sound Project No.1: Hor” (Chiangmai University, 2015), “Shuttling the Space sponsor by Japan Foundation (See-Scape Chaingmai Gallery, 2015), “Thai Composer and Music” (broadcasted nationwide, 2015), and the Tacet(i)Call for Scores 2016 (Collaboration with composers from prestigious music institutions in Thailand: Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, Rangsit University, Chiang Mai University, Mahidol University, and Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music). 

In 2017, we have found “Thailand Music and Art Organisation (TMAO)” to articulate the conception of new collaborative Music and Art. Tacet(i) and TMAO have curated several creative projects which included professional concerts and educational workshops for young musicians in Thailand and Europe, such as: Royal College of Music (London), Royal Academy of Music (London), Studio Loos (The Hague), Amsterdam Conservatorium (Amsterdam) Zurich Conservatorium (Zurich), and St. Cyprian Church (London). TMAO also directed “Music Days 2017: Saxophone and Composition Workshop” which specially meant to support the young composers, saxophonists, in learning and experiencing contemporary music. The event was held at Mahidol University, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, and Assumption College. Recently, we initiated the first annual Thailand New Music and Art Symposium(TNMAS) which focuses on the diversity of ethnicity, society and culture. TNMAS 2019 was held at Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC) with the theme, “Beyond Boundaries”. We received the true achievement with promising evidences with more than 200 submissions of artists from around the world and 600 attended audiences at BACC. 

Currently, Tacet(i) consists of 12 Thai musicians, primary members are including: 
Pisol Manatchinapisit (conductor, saxophone), 
Phataporn Preechanon (Flute), 
Christhatai Paksamai (clarinet), 
Siravith Kongbandalsuk (trombone), 
Pipe Kantapong (percussion), 
Kerk Jaree (piano), 
Korn Roongruangchai (violin), 
Krit Supabpanich (viola), 
Kantika Comenaphatt (cello), 
Noppakorn Auesirinucroch (guitar), 
Tapanat Kiatpaibulkit (violin/viola) and 
Piyawat Louilarpprasert (director, electronics). 

For more information regarding our artists details and Tacet(i) performances and events: www.tacetiensemble.com and www.tmaomusic.com.