Dr. Tarin Supprakorn

Dr. Tarin Supprakorn is active as a recitalist, collaborative pianist, and pedagogue. He has won top prizes in numerous piano competitions in his native Thailand and elsewhere and has played with orchestras in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Critics have praised his playing as “lyric” and “graceful,” with the Pattaya (Thailand) Mail proclaiming: “Precocious talent Tarin Supprakorn took the stage [in a performance with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra] for a veritably electric demonstration of controlled expression and pure technique. Like a hummingbird’s wings were his fingers as he breathed new life into the great Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.” The Bangkok Post has hailed him as “one of Thailand’s top young concert pianists.”

Soon after beginning graduate studies, Dr. Supprakorn won first prize in the Eastman School of Music’s [Rochester, New York] annual Piano Concerto Competition. As a result of that award, he performed Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle said, “Supprakorn delivered lyricism and flamboyance while letting Schumann’s distinctive voice speak for itself.” The Rochester City Newspaper stated, “The arc of his melody lines gracefully ebbed and flowed.” In addition to the RPO, Supprakorn has appeared as soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, International Orchestra of Italy, Lithuanian Symphonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Indonesia, Bangkok Metropolitan Orchestra, Kasetsart University Winds, Mahidol University Symphony Orchestra, Piyabhand Sanitwongse Foundation Orchestra, International Youth Symphony Orchestra of Thailand, and Bangkok Silpakorn Wind Orchestra.

Dr. Supprakorn has won first prize in most of Thailand’s piano competitions, including the Sixth Bangkok Chopin Piano Competition, the Seventh Nat Studio Piano Competition, the First National Piano Concerto Competition organized by Mahidol University, and the Fifth Piyabhand Sanitwongse National Piano Competition. He also won top and special prizes in the Fifth and Eighth International Chopin Piano Competitions in Asia (Japan), the Seventh International Balys Dvarionas Competition for Young Pianists (Lithuania), the First ASEAN International Concerto Competition (Indonesia), the Fifth International Stasys Vainiunas Piano and Chamber Ensemble Competition (Lithuania), the Second ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition (Malaysia), and First Music Teachers National Association Stecher and Horowitz Two Piano Competition (USA).

As an adjudicator, Dr. Supprakorn has judged at competitions such as Kawai-Thailand ASEAN Piano Competition, Thailand 9th Mozart International Piano Competition, Yamaha Thailand Music Festival, Joyeux Music International Festival and Competition for Young Pianists, Asia Pacific International Music Competition, International Young Musicians Music Competition, Golden Bauhinia Competition, Asia Student Arts Festival, Shanghai International Music and Talent Competition, World Championship International Competition, VI International Liszt Ferenc Competition, and Kawai Music School Piano Competition.

Dr. Supprakorn received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Dr. Nelita True. He received a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from Eastman, also studying with Dr. True, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, where he studied with Dr. Thomas Hecht. In Thailand, he studied with Dr. Indhuon Srikaranonda. He was also a recipient of Fund for Classical Music Promotion under the Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana and M. L. Puangroy Apaiwongse Scholarship Fund.

Currently, Dr. Supprakorn serves as a full-time faculty member at Western Music Department, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, and Head of Academic at Kawai Music School Thailand. He is also a piano instructor at Royal Bangkok Symphony Music School, SOONER The Classical Music School, Horwang Music Academy, One Academy, and Peterson Piano Institute.