Cellist and actress Kanyapas “Parn” Srinarong of the Vie Trio has been surrounded by music for as long as she can remember. She recently took the role of Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi in Cixi Taihou The Musical, which is being staged this month in Bangkok.
“I first touched musical instruments just like how children play with toys. When I turned three, I began to take things seriously. My elder brother, Thaweewet, plays the piano and my little sister, Ariya, plays the violin,” Kanyapas said.
Her musician father, Phukorn Srinarong, the first director of Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (BSO), pushed her to study the piano and violin.
During primary school, her father began to be very strict with her music lessons. She had to practise whenever she had free time.
One of the major reasons why Kanyapas chose to play the cello is the instrument’s versatility — it produces neither too high nor too low of a pitch, and can be used as both a main and supportive instrument.
Her icon is Yo-Yo Ma, the famous Chinese-American cellist, because he sets very high standards for himself and plays cello with emotion, all while having fun. His performance makes cello music more enjoyable to his audience.
Her favourite musical compositions are Bach’s Cello Suites, as they can be played by one musician. These songs are difficult to play, she said, and last for about 10 minutes each. They require the musician to use deep, strong breathing, but make Kanyapas feel relaxed as she plays.
Kanyapas graduated from university in 2007 and returned to Thailand, where she began to perform with the BSO. After about two years, she began her part-time career in the theatre, with roles in Rak Ther Samer The Musical, Reya The Musical and Fah Jarod Sai The Musical.
After Fah Jarod Sai The Musical, Takonkiet Viravarn, managing director of Exact & Scenario theatre and several television production companies, encouraged the three siblings of the Srinarong family to form the Vie Trio. The group performs classical and popular music in an easy-listening style. It has recorded and released four albums.
Before becoming a band, the siblings recorded a special album entitled Roong Thor Saeng, in honour of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, who supported classical music in Thailand. The late Princess granted scholarships to Kanyapas and Thaweewet, allowing them to continue their musical studies in Hong Kong and the United States, respectively. She noticed Kanyapas’ talent during a musical camp in Switzerland. She was then a sophomore cello major at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Before that, Kanyapas had graduated from Kasetsart University Demonstration School and had studied to be a music teacher for two years at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Kanyapas and her siblings and parents have been operating their own music school for nearly five years. The school currently has two branches in Bangkok. “I’m 33 years old already. When I am old, I will be happy to be with children,” she said. “I seek advice from my parents, who are both teachers. I must adjust myself a lot.”
According to her, each student requires a different teaching approach. Some students need reward such as cute stickers or compliments. If she needs to give a student negative feedback, she must do it softly.
Apart from her full-time work as a musician and music teacher, she still loves to sing and perform in plays. This month, she has starred in the titular role of Cixi Taihou The Musical. Before she met director Kriengsak Silakong and composer and singer Suruj Tipakoraseni, Kanyapas said she had never studied singing seriously.
For almost a year before the opening of the musical, she took weekly singing lessons with Suruj, focusing on clear pronunciation. She did not study acting, but tried her best to understand the script by reading it and other related books, as well as watched drama series about the empress.
To maintain her voice, she drinks water at room temperature, goes to bed no later than midnight and exercises regularly by jogging and doing sit-ups which helps with muscle control.
“Of all the things I do, I love to play music the most. I feel free and comfortable to go and play music anywhere with my siblings. Stage plays make me want to improve myself and change for new perspectives through new singing and performing techniques,” Kanyapas said.
Cixi Taihou The Musical will be staged at Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre, Esplanade, Ratchadaphisek Road, on May 30 and 31. Visit www.thaiticketmajor.com or call 02-262-3456.
Kanyapas Srinarong in a scene from Cixi Taihou The Musical.
