2wheels
Community Manager
New music festival coming to Chiang Mai
The Festival, “Lanna World” aims to celebrate the heritage, music, and culture of Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, and Mae Hong Son along with people from throughout Thailand and 4 continents.
Todd said, “We are working with the Province of Chiang Mai, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism (Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son offices) as well as the Provincial Administrative Organization of Chiang Mai. Private supporters include the Singha Corporation, the Government Bank, PTT and the Northern Hotels Association.”
The festival will be held February 14th-17th, 2013 at Kad Cherng Doi (Prasert Land) just off Canal Road. The festival is free and features both national and international performers with big shows coming from India, the USA, West Africa and the Middle East.
Todd noted that he and the organizers chose to hold the concert in Chiang Mai for several reasons.
“Chiang Mai is now home to a myriad of Lanna, Tai and Thai as well as international cultures. We’d like to create a music festival that celebrates these colors as well as the cultures of the 4 provinces in the UPN1 group-Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, and Mae Hong Son.
Secondly, last year’s World Colors Festival in Chiang Mai was a phenomenal success. The then Governor of Chiang Rai, Tanin, a Chiang Mai native is now the Governor of Chiang Mai. We talked about what we could do to celebrate Chiang Mai as a world-class “cradle of creativity”. This festival is one such effort.
Finally, there is a great wealth of talent in the youth of Chiang Mai. Bands and performers here have won numerous national awards-most recently the band who won Singha’s Master Band contest. We’d like to show them off in this festival and create the opportunity for them to share the stage with World Musiq groups from around the world.”
Todd discussed his television show which features Lanna culture on national television and has proven to be very popular.
“The latest show (we have several) is called “Lanna: Miracles and More” and is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, UPN1 and schools, groups and people from throughout Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang and Mae Hong Son. The show is a reality-variety show aimed at promoting “creative tourism”-i.e. using the wealth of cultural, natural and human resources here to create NEW poetry, songs, paintings, and ideas. The show brings together celebrity artists like Eed Bonglang Sa-On, Tik Shiro, Lanna Commins, Andrew Biggs and takes them to villages, rivers, caves, temples with blind, autistic, deaf kids to kinda bust the walls of ideas open. It’s fun and we’ve created some great stuff together.”
Finally, Todd has held a special place in his heart for Chiang Mai and he tells the Chiang Mai Mail why that is.
“I fell in love with the North while studying herbal medicine at Chulalongkorn University. Lanna Culture is a unique, colorful and vibrant entity in and of itself. There is a quiet strength to the people and their culture-800 years of it-1500 if you go to Lamphun!
I then was given another Fulbright grant to study minority cultures at Chiang Mai University and traveled throughout Lanna and Eastern Burma to write the stories of the ethnic peoples fighting against the military regime in Rangoon. Their stories were (and are) inspiring. As we look around the world Chiang Mai is a stunning example of a clear local culture (Lanna) taking in the colors of a national government (Thai), local ethnic colors and even international colors of culture in a mesh of fun that seems to work.
Over the last 3 years I have been afforded the honor and opportunity ( by the Thai government, UPN1 and local people of Lanna) to create and produce TV shows, songs, festivals celebrating these colors. It’s ridiculously fun and much bigger than I had imagined.”
Todd moved to Thailand 25 years ago on a Fulbright scholarship having grown up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. However, he said that he came from a background of entertainment.
“I am a child of life, dancing on this planet in peace and joy. I grew up in a phenomenal family of foster kids, traveling minstrels and books.”
Todd wears many hats; writer, singer, performer, TV personality, producer of his own songs, books and festivals which grew way beyond what he ever invisaged.
“I have brought seeds of creativity. Thailand as a nation has watered and fostered these seeds into the “works” before me-300 published songs, 15 original books, 10 original CD’s, over 500 TV shows, movies and 40+ World Musiq Festivals around the country as well as in 15 other nations. That is why I use the names “Todd (tongdee) Lavelle and Thailand” on almost all of my works.”
For more details on the festival visit LANNA: Miracles & More ?????????????????????? or visit toddeastwest. com for more information on Todd."
(From Chiang Mai Mail)
Todd is seen here on a visit to Chiang Mai last year.
"The Chiang Mai Mail had a chance to hold a short interview with Todd Lavelle or Todd Tongdee as he is more widely known in Thailand. He recently started a TV show featuring Lanna culture in the North on Thai television and is currently organizing a concert to be held in February.The Festival, “Lanna World” aims to celebrate the heritage, music, and culture of Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, and Mae Hong Son along with people from throughout Thailand and 4 continents.
Todd said, “We are working with the Province of Chiang Mai, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism (Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son offices) as well as the Provincial Administrative Organization of Chiang Mai. Private supporters include the Singha Corporation, the Government Bank, PTT and the Northern Hotels Association.”
The festival will be held February 14th-17th, 2013 at Kad Cherng Doi (Prasert Land) just off Canal Road. The festival is free and features both national and international performers with big shows coming from India, the USA, West Africa and the Middle East.
Todd noted that he and the organizers chose to hold the concert in Chiang Mai for several reasons.
“Chiang Mai is now home to a myriad of Lanna, Tai and Thai as well as international cultures. We’d like to create a music festival that celebrates these colors as well as the cultures of the 4 provinces in the UPN1 group-Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, and Mae Hong Son.
Secondly, last year’s World Colors Festival in Chiang Mai was a phenomenal success. The then Governor of Chiang Rai, Tanin, a Chiang Mai native is now the Governor of Chiang Mai. We talked about what we could do to celebrate Chiang Mai as a world-class “cradle of creativity”. This festival is one such effort.
Finally, there is a great wealth of talent in the youth of Chiang Mai. Bands and performers here have won numerous national awards-most recently the band who won Singha’s Master Band contest. We’d like to show them off in this festival and create the opportunity for them to share the stage with World Musiq groups from around the world.”
Todd discussed his television show which features Lanna culture on national television and has proven to be very popular.
“The latest show (we have several) is called “Lanna: Miracles and More” and is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, UPN1 and schools, groups and people from throughout Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang and Mae Hong Son. The show is a reality-variety show aimed at promoting “creative tourism”-i.e. using the wealth of cultural, natural and human resources here to create NEW poetry, songs, paintings, and ideas. The show brings together celebrity artists like Eed Bonglang Sa-On, Tik Shiro, Lanna Commins, Andrew Biggs and takes them to villages, rivers, caves, temples with blind, autistic, deaf kids to kinda bust the walls of ideas open. It’s fun and we’ve created some great stuff together.”
Finally, Todd has held a special place in his heart for Chiang Mai and he tells the Chiang Mai Mail why that is.
“I fell in love with the North while studying herbal medicine at Chulalongkorn University. Lanna Culture is a unique, colorful and vibrant entity in and of itself. There is a quiet strength to the people and their culture-800 years of it-1500 if you go to Lamphun!
I then was given another Fulbright grant to study minority cultures at Chiang Mai University and traveled throughout Lanna and Eastern Burma to write the stories of the ethnic peoples fighting against the military regime in Rangoon. Their stories were (and are) inspiring. As we look around the world Chiang Mai is a stunning example of a clear local culture (Lanna) taking in the colors of a national government (Thai), local ethnic colors and even international colors of culture in a mesh of fun that seems to work.
Over the last 3 years I have been afforded the honor and opportunity ( by the Thai government, UPN1 and local people of Lanna) to create and produce TV shows, songs, festivals celebrating these colors. It’s ridiculously fun and much bigger than I had imagined.”
Todd moved to Thailand 25 years ago on a Fulbright scholarship having grown up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. However, he said that he came from a background of entertainment.
“I am a child of life, dancing on this planet in peace and joy. I grew up in a phenomenal family of foster kids, traveling minstrels and books.”
Todd wears many hats; writer, singer, performer, TV personality, producer of his own songs, books and festivals which grew way beyond what he ever invisaged.
“I have brought seeds of creativity. Thailand as a nation has watered and fostered these seeds into the “works” before me-300 published songs, 15 original books, 10 original CD’s, over 500 TV shows, movies and 40+ World Musiq Festivals around the country as well as in 15 other nations. That is why I use the names “Todd (tongdee) Lavelle and Thailand” on almost all of my works.”
For more details on the festival visit LANNA: Miracles & More ?????????????????????? or visit toddeastwest. com for more information on Todd."
(From Chiang Mai Mail)
