Born in 1965, Anant Narkkong grew up in several places before settling down in a quiet Bangyikun district along the Chaopraya river, where he enjoys the vibrant artistic and musical environment. After earning his B.F.A. in Thai Music from Chulalongkorn University in 1989, Anant went to SOAS, University of London, for his M.Phil study in Ethnomusicology. His comprehensive journeys in Southeast Asian countries, both mainland and islands, made him acquainted with the musical cultures of this region. In 1983, he founded a fusion music group, Korphai (meaning a bunch of Bamboo), which became internationally renowned for its excellent renditions of Thai Classical Music and Thai Contemporary Music.

For the past 30 years, Korphai has released a number of albums and has performed in numerous public concerts in Thailand and abroad. The group is also extensively involved in making background music for Thai films, documentaries, theatres, plays, and festival presentations.

In 2004, his group worked on original music for a successful Thai film, “Homrong (the Overture)”, which was inspired by his socio-music historical book – the life story of the great Thai xylophonist and composer Luang Pradithphairoh. The film and its music received high acclaim from international media critics and the general public.

Anant’s other interests in music include improvisational performance, soundscape, fieldwork recordings, sound installations, and theatre works. He often collaborates with theatre and dance companies. Recently, he worked with Pattravadi Theatre at Vic HuaHin as Music Director, where he produced many challenging contemporary theatre projects such as PraLor (2008-11), Wiwah Prasamut (2012) and Rocking Rama (2013). He hosts three weekly radio programs in Thai music and World music at the Parliament Radio Broadcasting Station andKhonmuang Radio online.

Anant has written and published a large number of articles in the areas of Musicology and Cultural Anthropology for newspapers, and monthly magazines. Since 2008, Anant has represented the Ministry of Culture Thailand as a specialist in Thai music and is a working committee member of the Asia Traditional Orchestra (ATO) and the Asia Traditional Ensemble (ATE), which produce several new ASEANKorea compositions and concerts every year.

Furthermore, he established and has served, since 2015, as Music Director of a highly unique C-ASEAN Consonant youth ensemble under the initiative and support of the Thai Beverage Company Ltd.

Currently, Anant works at the Faculty of Music, Silpakorn University as a full-time lecturer in ethnomusicology, world music, and composition. Anant is the recipient of the 2019 Silpathorn Award in the field of Music. This award is given annually by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture of Thailand, to a Thai contemporary artist who has made notable contributions to Thai Fine Arts and Culture.