A MEETING OF EAST AND WEST
Chinese opulence and royal performance was the order of the evening to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Old England Students Association
To mark the 81st anniversary of the Old England Students Association under Royal Patronage (OESA), a charity gala dinner concert was held at Napalai Ballroom, Dusit Thani Bangkok. The event, which was graced by HRH Princess Soamsawali, was well attended by Anglophiles and diplomats from Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Greece, Morocco and Estonia, as well as faces from the younger generation, which seems to indicate a new phase in the history of OESA.
Guests were dressed in evening gowns of red and gold as specified in the invitation card, to reflect the Chinese essence of the evening’s theme. Upon the arrival of the princess, OESA president Thaweewet Srinarong made a brief address on the history of the association and the concert to follow. With his background in music, and his link to the Thai Youth Orchestra, the concert format was undoubtedly his doing, as the association’s new president.
The princess then presented pins to donors and sponsors of the evening.
The highlight of the evening was a performance from this year’s cast of Cixi Taihou the Musical including Princess Soamsawali herself who performed the role of Cixi’s mother, Niuhulu, in the play. The show began with a violin prologue performed by Dr Thaweewet.
The three-hour play had been shortened by half by scriptwriter and composer Suruj Tipakoraseni. The princess chose to perform Cixi’s song Nue Fah Banlang Mangkorn instead of her own song. There was no fixed stage; instead, cast members took advantage of the various doors to the ballroom to make their entrances and exits.
The cast were apparently truly impressed by the princess’s dedication to the performance, attending the rehearsals with the rest of the team, and even arriving early that afternoon for the dress rehearsal before the gala dinner.
The singers were accompanied by the 50-member Thai Youth Orchestra under the Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, conducted by Den Yooprasert.
At the end of the performance, Jindarat Jumsai Na Ayudhya presented the princess with a bouquet of flowers, and Her Royal Highness presented bouquets to representatives of the cast and orchestra.
All guests were presented with an OESA yearbook. Proceeds from the evening were donated to the Thai Red Cross Society’s Friends In Need (of “Pa”) volunteers project, as well as to ongoing development for the OESA clubhouse.