Interview with Suanplu Chorus

The A cappella group, Suan Plu Chorus, was formed in 2000 with Dusadee Bhanomyong as the Managing Director. Suan Plu Chorus aims to pioneer a new approach in the art of A Capella by blending Thai music with Western chorus performance techniques. In this interview Dusadee Bhanomyong and two members of Suanplu Chorus talk about Isara Winitchai Throne Hall, their feelings about being invited to become a part of the 'In Situ' exhibition, and the process by which they took to adapt and compose 4 songs specifically for the historical site

Taking an innovative site-specific approach to sound, Suanplu Chorus derives inspiration from both the time and space of any given performance. Inspired by the medley of residual layers of history in the Isara Winitchai, they rearranged songs from the early Rattanakosin (Bangkok) era and composed movements and vocals that are informed by the unique acoustics of the space itself. As an acappella chorus,they use vocals to reinvigorate these songs with more modern melodies and methods to create in the audience an experience of the period’s intangible heritage that corresponds directly with the space, and that is done in a way that blends both the essence of the past and the power of the present.