2020 Presentations

AYE is one of the most important projects during the last years in order to promote and develop the Southeast Asian region regarding contemporary music and also beyond any kind of borders. The starting idea (that is now more than 10 years old) has finally found its “home” at the fabulous PGVIM in Bangkok, and it has become a routine event over the last seven years. While the first years had more experimental character, including finding out which composers and players fit for such projects, the last years started to become more prolific and more reflected regarding the various results. People became aware that each local instrument has its own aura, character and possibilities. Extended playing techniques are possible – but only up to a certain extent that the physiognomy of the instruments allows. On the other hand, the composers learned a lot of f. e. about the special tuning problems and the fact that sometimes good music results do not only depend on using extended techniques. Rather they discovered unforeseen interconnections new sound relationships or blendings.

​

As Southeast Asia is perhaps the biggest playground in the world regarding musical diversity, it is exactly the ideal place for such work that especially Dr. Anothai Nitibhon has initiated and kept on supporting it strongly and with her own enthusiasm, together with her institution. Such pioneering projects also allow temporary failures like in a laboratory. But such failures are as important for learning, and that is what happened over the years with the composers and musicians. Even in 2020, when we all were more or less paralyzed by the pandemic situation, Nitibhon found ways and methods to continue the work with various online workshops with selected persons, and it is my conviction that even in this year we got a very significant step further. I hope that the projects will continue, as it is a very important one for the development of contemporary music of this region.