Bio – Piyawat Louilarpprasert

Piyawat Louilarpprasert
(EN/ TH)

“His Compositions suggest a post humanist approach to sound production, where performer, instrument and objects become new agents”
(Described by The Otto R. Stahl Memorial Award, Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri)

“Young and Gifted, Meet the rebel Thai composer taking music to unheard heights”
(Described by CNN News Worlds Report, Karla Cripps)

Piyawat Louilarpprasert is a Thai composer and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of sound, visual arts, and technology. He is currently a Dean of the College of Music, Mahidol University. His compositions blend musical and non-musical elements, and he is internationally recognized for his innovative approach to contemporary music. Piyawat has received numerous prestigious international commissions and awards, including the Münchener Biennale Munich Commission (Germany), Musica nova Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic (Finland), the Fromm Foundation Commission from Harvard University (USA), a commission from Hellerau – European Center for the Arts (Dresden), and support from the International Coproduction Fund (IKF) of the Goethe-Institut (Berlin/Bangkok). He is also the recipient of the ISCM/Asian Composer League Prize (New Zealand), a residency at Südwestrundfunk (SWR) Experimentalstudio (Freiburg), and invitations to major festivals such as MATA Festival (New York) and Mizzou Composer Festival (Missouri, USA). His accolades include the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award (2018, 2020, 2021), the Fritz Gerber Award and a commission from the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), as well as recognition from institutions such as the British Council, Pro Helvetia, Japan Foundation, and more.

In 2017, Piyawat was selected as Composer-in-Residence by KulturKontakt Austria, the Austrian Federal Chancellery, and Music Austria. In 2019, he was profiled by CNN World News in the “Young and Gifted” series. In 2021, he was commissioned by the historic Donaueschinger Musiktage festival to write a new piece in celebration of its 100th anniversary. In 2024, he received another Fromm Foundation Commission from Harvard. Most recently, he has been awarded two of the highest honors in contemporary music: the Ernst von Siemens Ensemble Prize—widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in contemporary music, considered the “Nobel Prize” for music—with a monetary award of €75,000, which he received alongside his ensemble Tacet(i), and a commission for the Pierre Boulez 100th Anniversary, where he will compose a new work for the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.

His music has been performed in over 30 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America, at festivals such as Darmstadt Summer Course (Germany), Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), Time of Music – Musiikin Aika (Finland), European Creative Academy (France), Saint Petersburg New Music Festival (Russia), KulturKontakt Residency (Vienna), Gaudeamus Muziekweek (Netherlands), China–ASEAN Music Week (China), Mozart of Tomorrow (UK), Musica y Arte: Correspondencias Sonoras (Spain), Asian Composers League (Japan), and Dian Red Kechil Young Composers Residency (Singapore), among others.

He has collaborated with leading ensembles and orchestras including Tacet(i), Arditti, Alarm Will Sound, Arditti, [Switch~ Ensemble], Berlin Philharmonic Horn Section with Horn Pure, International Contemporary Ensemble, Yarn Wire, Mozaik, Platypus, Meitar, Wet Ink, Lucerne Alumni, Omnibus, Orkest Ereprijs, Oerknal!, Vertixe Sonora, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Trickster Orchestra, Princess Galyani Vadhana Youth Orchestra, Stockport Youth Orchestra, University Cincinnati Chamber Players, University of Austin Texas Chamber Ensemble, Vienna Improvisor Orchestra, University of Philippines Symphonic Band, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, American Composer Orchestra, Elbland Philharmonie etc.

Piyawat earned his Bachelor’s degree in Composition with honors from Mahidol University, his Master’s degree from the Royal College of Music in London (where he received the Charles Stewart Richardson Award), and his Doctorate in Composition and Sound Studies from Cornell University, supported by the Sage Fellowship and Telluride Fellowship. Since 2022, he has served as a Visiting Professor at Cornell, and from 2023-25, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Composition at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio. At BGSU, he plays a key role in academic leadership, curriculum design, and interdisciplinary collaboration, further strengthening his qualifications in educational and institutional development.

In addition to his artistic achievements, Piyawat is a highly experienced arts administrator and cultural leader. He is the Founding Artistic Director of the IntAct Festival and Thailand New Music and Arts Symposium, which present groundbreaking interdisciplinary works to over 2,000 attendees annually at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Over the past 7 years, these festivals have become vital platforms for contemporary arts in Southeast Asia, supporting young artists, international exchange, and artistic innovation. As Director of the Thailand Music and Arts Organization (TMAO) for 8 years, he has curated educational programs, commissioned works, and led community engagement initiatives. He also founded the Southeast Asia New Music and Arts Foundation (SANMA), a regional initiative that promotes intercultural exchange and capacity-building for emerging ASEAN artists. Through these organizations, Piyawat has raised substantial funding through competitive grants, managed multi-venue international events, led educational workshops, and developed long-term collaborations with embassies, universities, and government bodies.

As the founder of Tacet(i) Ensemble, a leading voice in Southeast Asia’s contemporary music scene, he has championed over 50 new works annually and positioned Thailand as a regional hub for artistic excellence.

In all of his roles—as artist, educator, and administrator—Piyawat exemplifies visionary leadership, cultural advocacy, and a deep commitment to the development of Thailand’s creative infrastructure. His diverse experience makes him exceptionally qualified for a senior leadership position, as Dean of the College of Music at Mahidol University, where he would continue to inspire, guide, and elevate the next generation of music professionals in Thailand and beyond.

Appendix:

Awards: awarded commissions and prizes including Fromm Foundation Commission, Harvard University (USA), Hellerau Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Commission (Germany), Impuls Composer Commission 2025 (Graz), International Coproduction Fund (IKF)—Goethe Institut, Donaueschingen Musiktage (Germany), ISCM/Asian Composer League Prize 2022 (New Zealand), Südwestrundfunk (SWR) Experimental Studio (Freiburg), MATA Festival (New York), Mizzou Composer Festival (Missouri), ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award 2018, -20 and -21 (USA), Fritz Gerber Award, Lucerne Festival Commission 2021 (Switzerland), American Composer Orchestra-Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, Earshot Reading 2019 (USA), British Council Grants 2021: Connections Through Culture (United Kingdom), The Matan Givol International Composers Competition Winning Prize 2019 (Israel), Call for Scores Northwestern University Conference 2021 (Chicago), Call for Scores the 40th Annual Bowling Green New Music Festival 2019 (Ohio), Pro Helvetia Swiss Art Council (Switzerland), Japan Foundation Director Grants (Japan), Creative Funds by Siam Cement Group Foundation (SCG), the Audrey Kahin Research Fellowship (Mario Einaudi Center), The Charles Stewart Richardson Scholar Award and Commissions (Royal College of Music, UK), Unheard-of//Ensemble Multimedia Prize 2019, The Otto R. Stahl Memorial Award 2018 (USA), Sergei Slonimsky Composition Award 2018 (Russia), Léon Goossens Prize 2016 (UK), Lucerne Festival Academy Young Composer Seminar 2016 (Switzerland), Princess Galyani Vadhana Youth Orchestra Award 2015 (TH), Rapee Sagarik Award 2018 (TH), Royal concerto orchestral composition prize 2017 (UK), Gabriel Prokofiev Nonclassical Music Competition (UK), Asia-Pacific Saxophone Composition Award 2015 (TH), SEADOM Composition Award 2015 (Philippines), Young Thai Artists Awards, Young Composers in Southeast Asia Competition 2013 (Germany) and many more. In 2017, he was a composer in residence at KulturKontakt 2017 (AIR), Vienna, offered by the Austrian Federal Chancellery Austria. In 2019, his “Smelly Tubes” was featured in CNN News World: “Young and Gifted”. His recent work, “Ohm-Na-Mo” was commissioned by Donaueschinger Musiktage for 100 years celebration in 2021.

Festivals: Darmstadt New Music Festival (Germany), Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), MUSIIKIN AIKA – Time of Music (Finland), European Creative Academy, International Composition Residency (France), Saint Petersburg New Music Festival (Russia), Kulturkontakt Residency (Vienna), Gaudeamus Musikweek (Netherlands), China – ASEAN Music Week (China), London National Portrait (UK), Mozart of Tomorrow (UK), Musica y Arte: Correspondencias Sonoras (Spain), Asian Composer League (Japan) and Dian Red Kechil Young Composers Residency (Singapore).