2024-2025 Wunsch New Music Festival, September 29-October 1, 2024

Dr. Narong Prangcharoen, Composer-in-residence

Thai Composer Narong Prangcharoen’s success as a composer was confirmed by his receiving the prestigious 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship and the Barlow Prize. Other awards include the Music Alive, the 20th Annual American Composers Orchestra Underwood New Music Commission, the American Composers Orchestra Audience Choice Award, the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award, the Alexander Zemlinsky International Composition Competition Prize, the 18th ACL Yoshiro IRINO Memorial Composition Award, the Pacific Symphony’s American Composers Competition Prize, and the Annapolis Charter 300 International Composers Competition Prize. In his native country, Mr. Prangcharoen was recipient of the Silapathorn Award, naming him a “Thailand Contemporary National Artist”. He recently received Sugree Charoensook Award from The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) annual “Social Recognition Project” 2015.

Khemia Ensemble, Ensemble-in-residence
Hailed by the Columbia Daily Tribune as adding a “fresh dimension” to the concert experience, Khemia Ensemble is dedicated to reflecting broader perspectives in contemporary classical chamber music. With its dynamic instrumentation (soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, two percussion), Khemia’s unique sound world encompasses the presentation of new classical music with a mix of acoustic chamber works, multimedia, and multi-genre influences.

Khemia has been featured in venues and festivals including National Sawdust (Brooklyn, NY), the Mizzou International Composers Festival (Columbia, MO), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR), Strange Beautiful Music (Detroit, MI), New Music Gathering (Bowling Green, OH), Latin IS America (East Lansing, MI), the Missouri Summer Composition Institute, and the Biennial New Music Festival (Córdoba, Argentina). Passionate artist educators, Khemia has held residencies at more than a dozen universities in North and South America. The ensemble's eight members also hold faculty positions at seven academic institutions across the U.S. including University of Georgia, Florida State University, University of Arkansas, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Utah State University, and Utah Valley University.

Committed to expanding the chamber music repertoire, Khemia has commissioned and premiered over 60 mixed-instrumentation works by professional, collegiate, and high school composers. Current and recent collaborators include Bobby Ge, Florence Maunders, Nicolas Lell Benavides, David Biedenbender, Stefan Freund, Phillip Sink, and Nina Shekhar. Khemia’s sophomore album, Intersections, was released on Ravello Records in December 2022.

Khemia Ensemble is Amy Petrongelli (soprano), Mary Matthews (flute), Thiago Ancelmo (clarinet), Er-Gene Kahng (violin), Eli Lara (cello), Annie Jeng (piano), Shane Jones (percussion), & Chelsea Tinsler Jones (percussion).