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On September 10, 1996, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana formally accepted an invitation from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation to attend a classical concert for the first time. The highlight of the show, which was staged at Chulalongkorn University's auditorium, was a piano programme by Peter Donohoe.

The Princess was very satisfied with the performance. She not only asked the organisers and the artist several questions, but also gave her comments about the recital. From then on, Princess Galyani became a fixture at the classical concert events in Bangkok, which were mostly organised at the Thailand Cultural Centre. Except when her schedule conflicted and it was avoidable, the Princess never missed a concert.

"When she was busy, she would write a note to inform us that she could not come although she would really love to attend. She was very fond of music," says Achara Tejaphibul, a board member and secretary-general of the BSO Foundation.

The BSO Foundation runs the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, which is recognised as Thailand's best symphony ensemble.

The Princess loved symphonic music and concerto pieces, but was less keen on Broadway tunes.

Thaveeveth Srinarong, one of the recipients of the Princess's classical promotion fund, says she particularly liked French classical music. During a recent television show, he played a section from one of the Princess's favourite pieces, Cesar Frank's Violin Sonata in A Major.

"Every time we had a concert, the Princess would ask for programme notes in advance so she could study the pieces first. She would look for or ask for CDs to listen to first and encourage her entourage to study the pieces too. So when she attended the concerts, she knew what to expect," says Achara.

"After receiving the programme notes or the CDs, the Princess would write a brief note, which said something like, ''thank you very much for the material. I will wait to see how the BSO would perform these pieces'."

Princess Galyani also loved to attend the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. This international event, a Mecca of the classical music scene, draws the cream of the world's soloists, and the Princess knew all the world-class artists. Pianists Evgeny Kissin of Russia and Lang Lang of China were among her favourite artists. She was keen for these artists to perform in Thailand so the Thai public too had a chance to enjoy quality music programmes.

At the Verbier Festival, she would stay at a small resort of which she had fond memories, as the Princess Mother used to take her there when she was young.

She felt at home talking to the artists. When she attended the Hong Kong Music Festival in 2005, she listened to Yundi Li, the rising Chinese pianist who won the Chopin International Piano Competition and enjoyed talking to him.

When she attended a music festival organised by Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich in Japan, she dined with the musician and discussed pieces with her in fluent French.

The BSO Foundation is a non-profit organisation that's devoted to organising and promoting classical music in Thailand. It receives no public funding, and because it relies largely on fund-raising and corporate contributions for its income, the Princess encouraged the board to work towards getting tax-exemption status from the Revenue Department to improve its balance sheet. Ticket revenues barely cover operations, let alone fees for the guest artists, the conductors and the musicians.

Achara, who sent the invitations to the Princess to attend the BSO concerts and accompanied her to international music festivals, notes that Princess Galyani was a keen listener and observer. Nothing escaped her attention.

"During the intermission, the Princess would comment on the concert performance. She noticed every detail of what happened on stage. For example, she once commented lightly that the trumpet player wasn't sitting properly. On another occasion, she said one of the string players was not wearing his socks correctly."

She normally attended the concert with an entourage of about nine or 10 people and the seating was especially arranged for them. The Princess also had one of her secretaries note down all the ticket expenses and would insist on settling the bill annually. She also gave additional funds to help support the BSO Foundation.

Princess Galyani became interested in music from an early age and took piano lessons as a child. When she was studying in Switzerland, she loved to listen to the radio, finding that the classical sounds helped her to concentrate.

She continued the habit of listening to music when she returned to Thailand in 1950. During the last decade of her life, she became the patron of classical music in Thailand.

In 2000, the Princess established a fund to support young, talented Thai musicians after discovered that there were numerous youngsters who were interested in pursuing their studies in classical music but simply could not afford to go abroad.

The Princess's fund, called the Music Education Fund for Young Musicians, not only helped young Thai musicians study abroad or attend master classes and music festivals overseas, but also supported experienced musicians who wished to attend short training courses or study abroad at different levels.

The Princess did not attach any strict conditions to the fund. She did not want to publicise its existence either. She just administered the funds to those who really deserved to further their studies and careers.

Now that the Princess has passed away, the classical music scene in Thailand has been deprived of a patron and a true lover of classical music.

Thanong Khanthong

The Nation