Kant Kosoltrakul is only 17 years old but already he is a seasoned veteran in his field. With victories in more than 50 piano competitions on his resume, most recently he emerged as second runner-up in the most demanding event he’s faced to date, the Steinway Regional Finals Asia Pacific 2014 in Singapore.
Mos, as he’s known to family and friends, began taking piano lessons at age five when the family was living in Australia — his parents work for Thai Airways International — before moving to Moscow when he was eight years old.
It was in Russia where Mos met the teacher who would bring out his passion for music and inspire him to future successes. It was the family’s driver who put them in touch with Irina Novikova when he was asked if he knew of any good piano instructors. When the family returned to Thailand, Ms Novikova came with them, securing a teaching position in one of Bangkok’s elite schools so she could also continue working with her star pupil.
Mos has certainly benefited from his teacher’s guidance, though he acknowledges that the learning environment in Russia is stricter than in Thailand.
“Here in Bangkok, they’ll be more patient with you, but in Russia, they will make you sit in lessons and make sure you know how to do it,” he says. “I’ve had lessons that lasted three or four hours just to get a little section right. The dedication and the patience that they have, there’s a lot more in Russian teaching.”
Ms Novikova is currently the Head of Keyboards at Shrewsbury International School and continues to teach Mos in Thailand. He believes that being able to continue his lessons with her — “the consistency and being able to rely on a teacher that’s so great” — has contributed to his success. “I can trust her and I think that has helped a lot.”
As his teacher for almost 10 years, Ms Novikova says she has passed through numerous experiences with Mos.
“I’m very happy because my teaching skills are the most successful with him,” she told Asia Focus. “Because sometimes, I know how to do something, I know how to teach, but kids cannot do it. But with Mos, absolutely all my ideas he can get and he can show.
“I can say that he’s a talented boy. But when he was young, he liked speed, he liked playing fast, and he is very successful in his technique. But also in my mind, he shines on stage, he can present himself, he practises a lot.”
The pianist’s mother, Parichart Kosoltrakul, believes that children initially need help with discipline, but after practising often enough, it becomes part of their regular routine.
Mos practises the piano two to three hours on a school day and up to eight hours a day on weekends. However, despite his commitments, he leads a well-balanced life, and manages to find time for other activities. His interest in sports includes rugby and football. Additionally, he is a member of the school choir and a trombonist for the orchestra. He has also accompanied ensembles.
“I think the school has provided so much because they have an amazing music department; they have an entire floor dedicated to music,” he says. “They try to develop people into musicians and try to help them with different aspects. Like for me, it’s not just focusing on my piano playing but also playing a second instrument, joining the orchestra, the choir, and developing my music skills in a broader sense.”
“It goes without saying that we have provided regular solo concert opportunities for Mos both within the school and also to the wider audience from the general public attending our concert series,” said Stephen Holroyd, the principal of Shrewsbury International School. “He is an elite performer without doubt – but there is nothing elitist about his approach.”
When it comes to musical role models, Mos says he listens to a lot of great pianists and tries to learn from the best qualities that each has to offer.
“I don’t have one specific pianist that I follow because there are so many pianists out there and each one has something special about himself or herself, so I try to pick the best from each one and apply it to myself,” he says, though he admits a fondness for the technique of the Russian virtuoso Evgeny Kissin.
“He’s very technical, and every piece he plays, he plays every single note and it’s detailed, and I think that’s an aspect of my piano playing. ... I do it as best I can, just try to get every note, all the detail.”
In the classical music field, he enjoys emotion-driven pieces from the Romantic era. “I feel like the composers use more of what’s happened in their lives,” he says. “You can hear it in a lot of Beethoven, you know, his emotional progression throughout his life. So his music is usually aggressive, and that reflects his personality and I think I love that.”
Mos is not the only talented pianist in his family. His 15-year-old brother Krit (Mel) has also had his share of success in competitions, and placed third in the Steinway Thailand Youth Piano Competition that Mos won in April.
“I always teach my sons that it doesn’t matter if we lose or win. The most important thing is to focus on what you are doing, and do it as best as you can,” said Mrs Parichart.
“Awards are not necessary. Whether we win or not, Mos and Mel won’t feel sorry because they know that they have done their best. This is a very important aspect and I’m proud of both of my sons.”
Winning the Thailand section of the Steinway Competition earned Mos a place in the regional competition in Singapore on July 26. He was representing Thailand and in the past has represented the country on numerous occasions in Moscow, Osaka and other competitions.
Participants in the Steinway Competition must be 17 years or younger and each pianist is judged on three contrasting pieces. This year there were representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. All contestants received certificates of recognition and the top three including Mos received trophies. The Grand Prize winner, Kim Chae-won of South Korea, will participate in the International Steinway Festival, organised by Steinway & Sons in Hamburg, Germany from Sept 6-8.
“It’s important for young musicians in Thailand to get a chance to shine and be recognised on an international stage,” said Chulayuth Lochotinan, one of the organisers of the event. “Kant is an outstanding pianist with a bright future ahead of him.”
Remarking on Mos’s performance, the judges said: “[Kant] is a very fine pianist with wonderful fingerwork and powerful technique. He has a unique sound and his choice of repertoire accentuated how he retains the vitality of a piece well. He can, however, work on injecting more colours and textures into his sound to create more musical nuances.”
For Mos, the Steinway Competition was his most nerve-wracking yet proudest achievement.
“Just going into the Thailand round and representing Thailand in the Asia area is huge,” he said. “Although I didn’t get to go to Germany, the potential that I could have gone to Germany, I think that’s what made this competition stand out for me.
“This event is so highly produced; just being backstage in Singapore there’s so much going on. It was something different that I hadn’t experienced before, because usually in competitions, you just go in and play, wait for results and that’s pretty much it. But with this one there’s a lot behind it; the production quality is amazing.”
Although he is already a highly successful pianist, Mos says his plans for the future extend beyond piano performance. He is in his final year of high school, taking mathematics, music and business.
“I’m really interested in the music industry. Being able to apply what I know about music and also my interest in the business side, I think that’s something I’m really fascinated by and something that I think I won’t get bored of,” he said.
“I can apply my music side to what I’ve learned in school so nothing goes to waste. So I think even music management or managing an artist is something I want to get into.”
Though he has already experienced great success at a young age, the modest teenager says he has many people to thank: “[my parents] for pushing me, and my teacher for helping with my development, the school, because I have a scholarship at Shrewsbury, giving me that and helping me also to develop my musical skills and everything.”