Chula Student Selected for Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) 

Mr. Chinnaphong Laisakul, a fourth-year student in Western Music at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, has successfully passed an international audition as a violinist to become a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO), one of the premier youth orchestras in Asia. In July 2026, he will participate in a six-week concert tour with the AYO across several countries in Asia. This tour provides an important platform for developing musical potential at an international level. 

The Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) was founded in 1987 by world-renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin and gave its first performance in 1990 under his baton. Since then, AYO has grown into one of Asia’s leading pre-professional youth orchestras. It selects musicians from across Asia through a highly competitive audition process and is recognized as one of the best youth orchestras in the world. The orchestra has received honors such as the Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists (2010). To date, more than 2,000 musicians have trained with AYO, many of whom have gone on to become internationally recognized professional musicians. 

This achievement reflects the student’s talent and dedication, as well as the high quality of teaching and learning in the Western Music program at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, which aims to develop students toward international excellence.