The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present classical guitarist Ekachai Jearakul on Monday, November 9. For this performance, he has prepared a virtuosic collection of music by Luigi Legnani, Joaquin Turina and His Majesty, The King of Thailand: King Bhumibol Adulyadej, plus others. View the full program.
Jearakul is considered one of today’s most outstanding classical guitarists on the international scene. In 2014, he became the first Asian guitarist to win the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition. This prize entails a fifty-concert tour in North and South America, including a Carnegie Hall debut in New York City sponsored by the D’Addario Foundation, a Mel Bay publication, and recordings on the Naxos and GHA labels with worldwide distribution.
Between 2003 and 2014, Jearakul earned an impressive list of honors, which include twelve first prizes at prestigious international guitar competitions in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has performed in over sixteen countries, including Thailand, China, France, Korea, Russia, Greece, Japan, Austria, England, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia, Spain, Singapore and the United States. In 2011, he commissioned new arrangements and made a recording of the music of the King of Thailand, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Jearakul has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as JoAnn Falletta and Bundit Ungrangsee, and has appeared with orchestras around the world, including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the International Orchestra of Italy, the Unity Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ukraine Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Ensemble of Soloists “Kiev Camerata,” the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute Orchestra (Thailand), the Orquesta Sinaloá de los Artes (Mexico), and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (USA).
Born in 1987 in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, Ekachai Jearakul started guitar studies at the age of thirteen. His professional training as a full scholarship student began at Mahidol University College of Music, where he completed a Bachelor in Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance with Dr. Paul Cesarczyk. Subsequently, Ekachai went on to earn a Master’s degree in Guitar Performance at Salzburg’s Mozarteum with Prof. Marco Tamayo. Since 2007, Thai Bev “Sangsom” Thai Talent has sponsored Ekachai, and in 2013 he became a Yamaha artist.
DETAILS: The Monday, November 9th performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. General admission is $15 at the door and $10 for all students.