Pawasut Piriyapongrat earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with honors from Chulalongkorn University; and Master of Music in Church Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Music from the esteemed University of Southern California, where she studied choral conducting with Dr. William Dehning.
Piriyapongrat conducted Thai Youth Choir, a national youth choir under the Ministry of Culture, during 2007-2009. During the term of her direction she brought the newly-founded choir to a high standard in the short time allotted. In 2007 she started Chulalongkorn University Concert Choir, and has been introducing to the music patrons of Thailand a variety of classical choral repertoire. She has conducted Chulalongkorn University Symphony Orchestra performing Thailand premier of numerous important and challenging larger choral works. In May 2014 Chulalongkorn University Concert Choir, under Piriyapongrat’s direction, won a gold medal in a competition, Venezia in Musica 2015, in the Mixed Chamber Choir category. She has also collaborated with professional orchestras in Thailand including Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Siam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mahanakorn Symphony Orchestra performing Andrea Bocelli World Tour Concert in 2015.
Piriyapongrat is very active and well-known in the Thai choral scene as a leading choral conductor, clinician, and an adjudicator in Thailand and internationally. She dedicates much time and energy in bettering choral standards in Thailand through her initiatives that include various workshops, an annual choral festival, and choral camps for university choirs in Thailand.
She is currently a full-time professor of Music Education Division, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
