Beating his own path

When Pongsakorn "Book" Leartsakworakul takes up the four mallets and brings them down on the marimba, he forgets everything else - even his calloused hands and swollen middle fingers. His eyes light up, and he is back again in the familiar world of his music.

"I have never known where I'm going on my musical road," says Pongsakorn. "Some have said that I've chosen the wrong path, but I'm not sad, because it's my decision."

Pongsakorn is a talented young percussionist whose latest achievement was winning the King's Trophy in the Conrad Young Musician of Thailand Competition 2008.

He is now preparing for a performance at the Royal Overseas League's Princess Alexandra Concert Hall in London, as well as a concerto with internationally acclaimed conductor Bundit Ungrangsee.

Happy release

Book began his life in music with an electronic organ when he was eight years old. He was later invited to join the march¬ing band of Saint Gabriel's College in Bangkok, where he learned percussion.

"From that moment I felt that percussion instruments released me from everything," says Pongsakorn, who is now a firsty-ear music student at Chulalongkorn University.

Instruments like the marimba, a deep-toned xylophone, cost a lot of money, so he does¬n't have one at home. When he was a student at Saint Gabriel's College he went to the school early to practice. Often he was the first student at school and the last to leave. Even now, he often drops in at his old school when he wants to practise.

Career pressure

Pongsakorn comes from a medical family, and many close to him disapproved when he chose to become a musician. But he remains determined.

"I always keep in my mind that one day I'll prove that being a musician is more than they think," he says.

By Suwicha Chanitnun

Photo/ Taweesak Pakdeehoon