Siam Philharmonic Orchestra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Siam Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the name "Mifa Sinfonietta". At that time it was a small chamber ensemble devoted to bringing the discipline of the classical style to Thailand's classical musicians. It performed mostly the works of Mozart and Haydn. In 2003, the orchestra gained its autonomy from MIFA, the music academy where it was born, and was renamed the Bangkok Sinfonietta. However, later, in 2004, it became clear that the orchestra was no longer a sinfonietta since it was now performing large-scale orchestral works by Brahms and Mahler; to reflect this expansion in repertoire, it assumed the name Siam Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Siam Philharmonic Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the Bangkok Opera under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana. The current music director is S.P. Somtow, the guest conductor is Leo Phillips, and the associate conductor is Trisdee na Patalung. The orchestra regularly performs at the Thailand Cultural Centre.