Concert: Scenes from Afar

Concert: Scenes from Afar By The Salaya Winds

Saturday, 1st March 2025 at 19:30

At Neilson Hays Library

Join us at the Neilson Hays Library for a special evening of music performed by The Salaya Winds. On the program are musical pieces by two Hungarian composers, Endre Szervánszky and György Ligeti, and two American composers, Alyssa Morris and Jeffrey Agrell. It promises to be an evening to broaden your musical experiences.

Six Bagatelles                                                                                         Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006)

1. Allegro con spirito
2. Rubato, Lamentoso
3. Allegro Grazioso
4. Presto Ruvido
5. Adagio, Mesto
6. Molto Vivace, Capricioso

Dumbarton Oaks                                                                               Alyssa Morris (b. 1984)

Circus Etudes                                                                                     Jeffrey Agrell (b. 1948)

1. Dancing Elephants
2. Clowns
3. Trapeze Artists
4. Acrobats

Intermission

Quintet for Winds                                                                Servanskzky Endre (1911-1977)

1. Adagio, Allegro Moderato
2. Allegro Scherzo
3. Andante
4. Allegro Vivace

Hiroshi Matsushima – Flute

Born in Shizuoka, Japan, Hiroshi Matsushima began playing the flute at 15. After graduating from Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, he pursued advanced studies in Europe, first at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and then at the Karlsruhe University of Music, completing his master studies in flute performance and chamber music.

During his years in Europe, he gained extensive orchestral experience as a flutist with prestigious ensembles including the Hof Symphony, Munich Symphony, Munich Chamber Orchestra, and Philharmonia of the Nations.

Since 2002, Matsushima has been a flute instructor at Mahidol University’s College of Music in Thailand, where he currently serves as the chair of the woodwind department, dedicating himself to nurturing young musicians. He joined the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in 2010 and was also a founding member of the Million Wind Philharmonic in 2018.

Based in Thailand, he remains actively involved in performance and education across Southeast Asia. His international engagements include concerts and masterclasses at schools and conservatories in Singapore, China, Myanmar, Malaysia and Italy. Since 2023, he has served as a jury member for the Osaka International Music Competition.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Cooper Wright – Oboe

Cooper Wright is an active performer and educator in Asia. A member of the faculty of the College of Music, Mahidol University since 2013, Mr. Wright teaches applied oboe, oboe literature and pedagogy and chamber music. Mr. Wright formerly served as Woodwind Department Chair where he started such initiatives as the Mahidol University Reading Orchestra, the faculty wind Side by Side concerts, and the Student Chamber Music Recital series. Mr. Wright is an avid pedagogue and has taught masterclasses internationally in the United States, Italy, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar. In 2023, Mr. Wright co-hosted the International Double Reed Society conference with attendees from 40 different countries at Mahidol University. Mr. Wright was formerly the Principal Oboist of the Thailand Philharmonic and has been a featured soloist numerous times. Cooper Wright completed his Bachelor’s of Music at Michigan State University, a Master’s at the University of Oregon and is currently working on his DMA at Arizona State University.

His primary teachers were Daniel Stolper, David Weber, and Martin Schuring.

In his spare time, Mr. Wright enjoys cycling the countryside of Thailand and playing with his dogs Kahti and Dante.

Noppavee Aree – Clarinet

Noppavee Aree was born in 1996 in Bangkok, Thailand. His musical career commenced at Mathayom Wat Benjamabophit School, where he joined the marching band. He subsequently advanced his studies at the College of Music, Mahidol University through the Pre-College Program (2011-2013), studying Clarinet under the instruction of Prof. Cassandra Fox Percival and Prof. Grzegorz Grzeszczyk. His academic excellence culminated in graduating with First Class Honors, earning a Bachelor of Music from the College of Music, Mahidol University (2018). He furthered his musical education under Dr. Yos Vaneesorn in 2020.

In his orchestral career, Noppavee served as a member of the Princess Galyani Vaddhana Youth Orchestra from 2015 to 2019. His international experience includes participation in the National Taiwan Symphony Youth Orchestra music camp in Taichung, Taiwan, in 2018. The following year, he performed with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra as an on-call musician. His professional trajectory continued with his appointment to the Bangkok Metropolitan Orchestra in 2020, followed by securing a position as a full-time member of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022, where he maintains his role to date.And in terms of wind ensembles, Noppavee is currently a member of the Milion Wind Philharmonic.

Daren Robbins – Horn

Daren Robbins has been on the faculty of the College of Music at Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand) since 2008. He teaches horn, brass literature and pedagogy, and coaches chamber music, as well as serves as manager of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also an active member of the International Horn Society where he serves as Regional Coordinator for Thailand and served for ten years as Editor of the Online Music Library.

Daren maintains an active and multi-faceted performance career. He has conducted solo recitals and masterclasses at universities throughout the U.S. as well as Europe and Asia. He has performed and presented at International Symposiums in Australia, Europe and the U.S. and has recently been featured at the Beijing International Horn Festival and the Asian Horn Festival in Tokyo, Japan. He has performed with orchestras throughout Southeast Asia. Additional orchestral experience includes performances with the Mobile Symphony, La Crosse Symphony and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. He is an avid proponent of chamber music, having twice been a finalist in the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and having performed internationally with various chamber ensembles.

Daren’s students have enjoyed exceptional success. His students perform in the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Sun Symphony Orchestra, Bandung Philharmonic, among others. His student chamber ensembles have performed and won awards on four continents. He holds a D.M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.M. from University of North Texas, and a B.M. from the University of Iowa. His doctoral dissertation project led to the creation of the website www.hornexcerpts.org which is the most frequently visited horn-related website on the internet. His principal teaches include Douglas Hill, William Scharnberg and Kristin Thelander.

Christopher Schaub – Bassoon

Bassoonist Christopher Schaub, a native of the USA, joined the staff of the College of Music, Mahidol University (Thailand) in 2007, where he currently serves as instructor of bassoon and Assistant Dean for Global Initiatives. Dr. Schaub is currently principal bassoon of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and frequently travels through Asia performing and giving masterclasses. Dr. Schaub is also a founding board member of the Asian Double Reed Association (ADRA) and in August of 2011 hosted the first international conference of the ADRA, held at the College of Music. In 2023 he was host of the International Double Reed Society Conference (IDRS), Thailand. His principal bassoon teachers include Jeff Keesecker and Gene Griswold.

Tickets can be purchased ONLINE or at the library.

IMPORTANT: When purchasing tickets online, after putting your tickets in the basket, please settle the bill right away, and either enclose the bank slip with the order or email the proof of payment to info@neilsonhayslibrary.org so your order can be updated to “Complete”. If you don’t receive the order confirmation in your Inbox, please try checking in the Spam Folder or Junk Mail.

If your payment is not completed within 3 days of the online order, it will be automatically cancelled.

If you require any further information, please call 02-233 4999, or email info@neilsonhayslibrary.org.

Parking Location:

With the limited parking space available at the library, it is recommended that you take a taxi or use public transportation. If you do drive, parking is available at Bangkok Union Insurance, 175/177 Surawong Road (garage entry on Soi Anuman Rajdhon 1) a 5-minute walk to the Neilson Hays Library. They charge a fee of THB 30 per hour for parking.