Immanuel Orchestra - Music for Life: juni 2019

2017 has been an exciting year for Immanuel Music School with many great events such as orchestra concerts, choir- and opera-projects, many small group performances around Bangkok, our first ever trip abroad (to Norway), rehearsal camps and a big gala dinner.

The school also had many visitors, ranging from musicians to sponsors and media, who came to Immanuel Church. Finally, the daily life of the school with teaching including a new cello teacher since October should be mentioned. During the first months, a couple of our students were busy practicing and preparing auditions for different schools and universities. In August 2017 the number of Immanuel Music School’s university scholarship music students increased from 3 to 4 students.

Students at the Immanuel Music School:

The Immanuel Music School had 62 students (age 4 – 23 years old) learning to play an instrument in 2017. Most of Immanuel Music School’s students came to lessons after school in the afternoons and during the weekends in Immanuel Lutheran Church. There are various musical activities in the church every day. The school has offered orchestra rehearsals and sectionals, individual lessons (violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, drums and piano), string quartets, band, choir, music theory and sight singing lessons. Many of the younger, eager students in the music school have attended more lessons, rehearsals, concerts and performances in 2017 than ever before with 27 students attending more than 100 times during the year (last year 21), 11 students coming more than 200 times and the most eager student has come 364 times (new record). Congratulations Fawn!!
As in the recent years, 2017 has also been a year where we have tried to continue emphasizing a higher level of teaching quality and artistic excellence. 4 of Immanuel Music School’s students are now studying music at universities: Sinsupa Pantawong (Fai), a violin student at the school, is on her 3rd year at her Bachelors in Music Performance (violin) at Mahidol University’s College of Music, Reehpaw saenthavidet (Fiw), playing cello and Anongnath Duangwong (Ice), playing violin, are in their 2^nd year of their bachelors in Music Performance at Princess Galyani Wathana Institute of Music and Narongthep Somphorn (Best), playing double bass started his bachelor in Music Performance at Kasetsart University in August 2017.

On the other hand, the total number of students playing an instrument in Immanuel Music School has again dropped (2017: 62 students, 2016: 78 students, 2015: 96 students and 2014: 124 students). An important reason for the decrease is probably all the happenings around the orchestras. Immanuel Music School has got a lot of attention from media, many invitations to play and many good sponsors. This is all necessary for the founding of the future of the school and we appreciate it very much, but it requires a lot of time. With only one person in charge on a daily basis of both teaching, bringing and leading the students in performances, following up media and sponsors and organization most of the year, we have not had the capacity to continue the music teaching in Immanuel Day Nursery and also very little time for teaching at Home of Praise. Actually, we have got money to pay more teachers from our good sponsors, but we don’t have an administration to handle it yet.

In addition to offering free music lessons to children and youths in the deprived area surrounding Immanuel Church and the Home of Praise Community Center, Immanuel Music School also wishes to expand the work to other parts of Thailand.
At present, two of our university scholarship students come from churches in other parts of the country (North and North-East Thailand). For both of them, LST became a bridge to Immanuel Music School, and later to music studies.
For the first half of 2017 Ton, together with our fulltime students at that time, Pupae and Best, were teaching music at LST.

Another step we made to expand the work was to arrange a music camp for children at one of these scholarship student’s village, Baan Bu, in Buriram.

Music Staff at Immanuel Music School:

We are very thankful for all the time, effort and knowledge given to our students during 2017!

Jonathan Mann, famous orchestra conductor from the UK began as the Artistic Director for the Immanuel Orchestras from 1^st June 2015. Although he moved to Europe in the summer of 2017, he has continued his contribution to Immanuel Music School free of charge and has managed to improve the orchestra’s playing to such a high level of quality. This has led to people in the wider Bangkok community noticing this exciting project and wanting to attend Immanuel Orchestra concerts. It has also led to people in the Bangkok Arts community wanting to help the project and collaborate with our young musicians.

Varin Artvilai (Ton) has been a full-time teacher and conductor at Immanuel Music School since June 2015. Prior to this he was paid part time for several months. Ton completed his Bachelors in Performance (Violin) at Mahidol College of Music in April 2014. He started to learn violin at the Immanuel Music School and at Home of Praise when he was a child. During 2017 he has taken on greater responsibility for the music school in general, the organization and training of the orchestras, individual teaching, music theory lessons and administration.

Solveig Meling Johannessen started Immanuel Music School together with Dag, her husband in the year 2000. Due to Dag's health situation, they had to move to Norway in October 2016. From Norway, Solveig has still done administration and followed up on teachers and students through online medias. She also comes back to Thailand for some periods 3-4 times a year to help out.

Tanutt Tanavoravongsa (Tong) has been teaching piano in Immanuel 1-2 afternoons per week since 22^nd June 2015. This is a valuable skill we can offer our students. He also helps playing viola in Immanuel’s A-orchestra for big concerts.

Pongsathorn Surapab (Now) has been teaching Best double bass since February 2016. He continues to be Best’s Double bass teacher at Kasetsart University.

Vorapon Thanukmeesinkul (Dew) started as a part-time cello teacher in Immanuel Music School in October 2017. It was very nice for our cello students to get a teacher after waiting for many years.

Our scholarship students have been helping to teach individual and group lessons throughout the year.

Thank you very much to the following music teachers who have volunteered to teach at the Immanuel Music School during 2017:

Amy Boese, music teacher at ICS and violinist, has been helping out in the Immanuel Orchestra for several years.

Ishanti Chaurasia has since September 2016 to March 2017 volunteered to teach all the 3 classes in Immanuel Day Nursery 2 times a week and she has also taught musicianship to our 2 full-time scholarship students that period.

Jennifer Moberg, Suzuki violin teacher, was teaching violin on Thursday afternoons September 2016 to February 2017

Saara Nordblom has been helping out occasionally teaching cello students and playing in the orchestra.

Pongthep Jitduangprem (Golf) has been helping out at concerts and also been teaching a few viola lessons.

Stephen Maniam came from Malaysia both in January and October to help out with teaching and organizing a concert.

During 2017 Immanuel Music School also cooperated with other music organisations for several events:
Opera Siam (Bangkok Opera Foundation) invited Immanuel Children’s Choir to sing in 2 operas: “Chariots of Heaven” and “The Happy Prince”. For the first time the Immanuel Childeren got dressed up and acted in an opera. In April, Immanuel A-orchestra also joined a rehearsal camp and concert together with Siam Sinfonietta in Khorat, and in December we joined the choir for Beethoven 9^th Symphony. Thank you, Somtow Sucharitkul for giving Immanuel Music School these opportunities, and also for inviting our students to several other concerts during the year.

College of Music, Mahidol University invited Immanuel Orchestra for a rehearsal Camp in October 2017 together with several other orchestras as well.

BMS (Bangkok Music Society) and Immanuel Orchestra collaborated to perform Handel’s Dixit Dominus for 2 concerts in December 2017. Thank you especially, Saranya Saratham who came to Immanuel to practice with Immanuel Orchestra for several rehearsals before the concert.

A Youth Orchestra from Taiwan visited Immanuel Music School 7^th July, and together we had a concert under the express Way close to Home of Praise. Thank you to pianist Kimball Gallagher for initiating this visit and to Taiwan 88 for donations of 4 instruments.

Musikk gir Liv, an organization in Norway started to support Immanuel Music School – Music for Life in Thailand, invited 6 of Immanuel Music School’s students to Norway 20^th August to 4^th September 2017. The main goal for the trip was a big concert at Kilden (Kristiansand City’s concert hall) with Lørdagskolen Strykeorkester, Knuden-strykerne, Sølvstupene and members of KSO (Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra). The concert was successful with an audience of more than 700 and received very good feedback. The group also had several other concerts and performances during the 2 weeks: at Vågsbygd Church, Varden Church, Bryne Church, Vats Church, Hjelmeland (Fruit and Salmon Festival), NMS head Quarters and Stavanger Concert Hall. The young musicians also had time to experience Norway in other ways by going to Dyreparken, The Pulpit, Stavanger and Kristiansand city centers, visiting a farm and different friend’s homes and going on boat trips. Thank you to “Musikk gir Liv” for the invitation and for organizing the week in Kristiansand. It was also fantastic to have our good supporters, Siri and Woody, joining the trip. They helped out in many ways. Thank you also to all host families and other people for welcoming the group in an amazing way.

Economy:

2017 was a very good year for Immanuel Music School regarding income thanks to a great charity Gala Dinner arranged by SHOM and also because of our other amazing sponsors who supported not only by giving money, but also helped us with instruments, camps, coming to concerts and even a trip to Norway for 6 young musicians. Thank you very much to both old and new sponsors!

In 2017 Immanuel Music School had income of total 3,452,469 THB (of this was 1,663,048 THB to be used for scholarships). The total expenses were 1,303,265 THB.

Details regarding the expenses in 2017:

Music teacher’s salary: 447,350 THB

Scholarships to 4 university students: 402,100 THB

Support 2 fulltime students at Immanuel Music School (first part of the year): 48,000 THB

Audition and application fees to schools/universities: 12,585 THB

Repairing of instruments, included new bows: 30,417 THB

Food: 45,726 THB

Everything else: 317,087

Instruments:

In 2017 Immanuel Music School received donations of 13 instruments including 7 violins, 4 violas, 2 cello and a couple of better cases.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Immanuel Music School/Music for Life by giving of your valuable time, finances, instruments or supported in any other way. We could not have survived without you!

Here are some more pictures from 2017: