Nophachai Cholthitchanta, clarinet
A native of Thailand, Nophachai Cholthitchanta joined the University of Arkansas in 2001 as a member of the Lyrique Quintet and principal clarinetist of
the Arkansas Philharmonic. He previously taught at Graceland University and the University of Missouri–Kansas City’s Continuing Education Division. Praised for his artistry, The Clarinet noted his “superb and masterful clarinet playing,” while The Double Reed described his performances as “virtuosic.”
Dr. Cholthitchanta holds degrees from Chulalongkorn University, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Indiana University, the University of Northern Colorado, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, where he was named a Liberace Scholar. His principal teachers include Jane Carl, Bil Jackson, Thomas Masse, Eli Eban, Richard Lesser, Alfred Prinz, Michael Campbell, and Andrew Simon, and he studied chamber music with Alexander Schneider, Mathew Ruggiero, Abraham Skernick, Dorothy Dwyer, and Anthony Camden.
He has served as principal clarinetist with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales, the Asian Youth Orchestra, and the ASEAN Youth Orchestra. In the U.S., he has performed with the Greeley Philharmonic, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, New Ear Ensemble, and North Arkansas Symphony. His international career spans more than twelve countries, with appearances at major venues such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonie, and Vienna Konzerthaus. He has performed under conductors including Alexander Schneider, Lukas Foss, Günter Herbig, David Alan Miller, Samuel Wong, and En Shao. A prizewinner of multiple concerto competitions, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Thailand and the U.S., including the Bangkok Symphony, Thai National Orchestra, North Arkansas Symphony, and the University of Arkansas Symphony and Wind Symphony. He has also presented at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, the International Double Reed Society, the National Flute Association, and the College Music Society.
Beyond performance, Dr. Cholthitchanta is an avid reed maker and researcher of Arundo donax (reed cane). His project Study and Quality Development of Native Reed Cane in Thailand has received more than $170,000 in research funding. He redesigned the clarinet reed-making process and developed a specialized course in reed construction.
A dedicated scholar of historical clarinets, he owns both original and reproduction instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries. His research has been published in the Galpin Society Journal and in the Catalogue of the Sir Nicholas Shackleton Collection at the University of Edinburgh, with recent collaborative work on clarinet innovation appearing in 2024.
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