In need of a musical sanctuary, Thai pianist builds his own concert hall

By Todd Ruiz

Mar 18, 2014 | 5:43pm Bangkok time

Thirty years ago Nat Yontararak returned to Thailand from Europe to share his passion for classical music.

He opened a piano school, which to this day is filled with students finding their fingers. He composed his own music and played regular concerts. In 2006 he received the prestigious Silpathorn Award in music.

But for decades there was something just beyond his grasp. Making the music was one thing. But having the right place to hear it? All the Steinways in the world can’t substitute for a real concert hall. And Bangkok may be rich in malls, movie theaters and masseuses, it’s not exactly bursting with acoustically apportioned performance halls.

So he decided to build his own. But it took awhile – about 15 years – and just over a year ago, the Sala Sudasiri Sobha, named after his great patron princess, opened for its first performance.

It’s easy to throw a lot of money at something and get flawed, gilded results, but the concert hall Nat built has an impeccable sound.

We asked Nat to tell us about his concert hall, one of few in the kingdom. He discusses chasing his crazy dream to make it real, his faith, architectural background and how building Bangkok’s only private concert hall to the public came about.

Silpathorn Award winners, pianist Nat Yontararak and khon dance saboteur Pichet Klunchun.

CB: Bangkok has an infamous reputation for entertainment but not exactly “high brow” pursuits. What options have been available for those people looking for some cultural pursuits?

NY: Bangkok has only the Thailand Cultural Centre, which has the best halls. The main hall has 2,000 seats and the small hall has 450 seats. The priority for the performance there always go first to the government agencies. So it is usually fully booked. If one gets a chance to attend a good concert there, it is worth it. Sala Sudasiri Sobha offers another choice for intimate chamber concert where we always provide a reception for performers and audience to mingle afterwards.

CB: Your daughter said doing this was a sort of crazy obsession of yours for a long time. When did you first decide you wanted to do this, and why?

NY: Since I myself am a performer and have been travelling in concert tour in many places in the world, I always dreamed of a perfect concert hall. Also as we have our own school, we need to let our students have exposure to public performance. When we have a big group of students to perform we always have to rent the small hall of the Thailand Cultural Center which sometimes was too big. But our old “big room’’ (The room where I work) used for house concerts is also too small. So for the past 15 years, I have been thinking of having our own small concert hall so we could be free to organize any event at any time we want.

Indonesian harpist Rama Widi performs on Feb. 16, 2014. Photo: Todd Ruiz

CB: You obviously spent the kind of money on this I try not to think about. As with taste, money does not always translate into quality. But having attended a show, the sound seemed flawless. Could you tell me some of the steps taken to insure a quality concert hall?

NY: I graduated first as an architect before I fulfill my dream as a pianist. I designed the concert hall which has a similar size to the church where I have been attending since I was born, and I know that it has good acoustics. I also know that the carved wood decoration and wood floor help providing good acoustics.

After the final plan is fixed, I heard one of the sermons at my church about King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. I was curious to know about the dimension of the temple. It took me a great surprise to know that the main room in front of the Holy of the Holies has exactly the same proportion as Sala Sudasiri Sobha: King Solomon’s is 18 meters in length and 9 meters wide and 9 meters high, while Sala Sudasiri Sobha has 16 meter long, 8 meter wide and 8 meter high. Before the project started in 2011, our family prayed to God that if it is His will for us to have this building may it be the place where we could expand His Kingdom. I am certain that God has given us whatever we need to build the perfect hall and it is a great blessing to finally have it.

After one and a half year we have had various kinds of instruments; solo instruments, piano, violin, flute, guitar, harp; string orchestra, woodwind quintet, chorus and ensemble. One interesting fact is that whichever kind of instrument played in this hall, none of them has ever been too loud or too soft for the audience. We can even hear the most pianissimo sound that the performers played on their instrument. A noise of a flipped paper can be heard by everyone, especially during a concert. This is what I find really amazing in this hall.

CB: What’s in store for the future?

NY: It surely is exciting to see the increasing number of young Thai classical artists in Thailand and see how talented they are, especially comparing to the older days. We wish to be able to support them and give them the kind of opportunities that they deserve by providing a good stage for public exposure for them. What we look forward to is expanding our audience so our dream could be shared with many people as much as possible!

All of the hall’s concerts benefit the family’s Gift of Life Foundation, which helps patients with rare blood diseases such as leukemia.

This Sunday, “Voices of Musicals” features a concert of famous Broadway show tunes from such famous musicals such as Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Guys & Dolls and My Fair Lady. In addition, the concert will feature memorable tunes by George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and other jazz standards.

On March 30, pianist Philip Fowke takes the stage to play selections from the like of Franz Schubert and Frederic Chopin.

For more information visit Sala Sudasiri Sobha online or call 02-541-8662 or 080-407-8231.