About Me
Hi! My name is S. Peace Nistades. My real full name is Sornsanti Nivasanont, which is where I derived Nistades from when I was quite young. It started off being just a name I used to call myself but ended up being my penname and so S. Peace Nistades (or S.P. Nistades) has been has been the name I've used since. As an only child and I have been involved in the arts from the very young age of four. Born in October 1989, my initial interest was in art, and with a lot of encouragement from his parents, I took up piano at the age of seven. In 1999, a few years after I started piano, I had a chance to study classical piano at Nat Music School. Participating in Nat Studio’s 6th Piano Competition also compelled me to work harder on my piano techniques and skills as well as musicality and style. My improvement grew exponentially as I joined the various performances celebration of Nat Music School’s 15th anniversary. This would be the first of many performances to follow at the Small Hall, Thailand Cultural Center. I performed the first movement of Bach’s Italian Concerto in October 2000, followed by a piano transcription of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring in December of that year.
I went on to perform in annual Christmas concerts at the Thailand Cultural Center as well as studying privately with Mr. Nat Yontararak, now a selected Steinway Artist. In 2002, I performed my first solo concert at the Main Auditorium of Ramkhamhaeng Adventist International School. Being inspired by the Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, I decided to take up classical singing. Later on that year, I was invited to perform at the premiere performances of the BST (Bangkok Symphony Orchestra String Training Institute) String Ensemble accompanying two violinists in a violin duet by Handel. Shortly afterwards, I was invited to participate in the celebration of Trinity College of Music’s 125th Anniversary at the Thailand Cultural Center. In 2003, after having completed a rather successful and busy year of performances, I was yet again invited to perform a piano duet (along with another pianist from the same music school) at the Thai Airways Opening of 5 New Airlines held at the Dusit Thani Hotel. I took the Grade 8 Piano Examination of the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), at the end of 2004.
The year 2005 was a major turning point in my musical career. I attended the International School Bangkok (ISB) and took up composing as part of the IB Music HL course (International Baccalaureate Music Higher Level Course) not knowing that it would later play a big role in my musical career. I wrote my first piece, A Royal Fanfare, in the fall of 2005 and immediately decided to take up composition as well. At the end of 2005, after joining the Orpheus Choir of Bangkok, at the suggestion of Khun Saranya Caraan (Music Assistant to Mrs. Dinah L. Helgeson, Head of Fine Arts and Choral Director at ISB), I met Somtow Sucharitkul who would later become a mentor in my career as a composer. Following my participation in the Bangkok Opera’s performance of Michael Tippett’s moving oratorio A Child of Our Time, I went on to perform with the Bangkok Opera in such performances as Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) under the baton of Trisdee na Patalung and was an extra in Somtow’s new interpretation, and South-East Asian premiere of Das Rheingold from Wagner’s Ring Cycle which received much acclaim.
I have performed in all the concerts organized by the High School Music Department at the International School Bangkok. My performance debut at the International School Bangkok was my performance of Donald Patriquin’s virtuosic arrangement of J’entends le Moulin, which I performed with the High School Vocal Ensemble conducted by Mrs. Dinah L. Helgeson as part of the Bangkok International Choir Festival 2005. At this festival as well as others held at ISB, I also had a chance of being assistant conductor to Mr. John M. Trepp, as well as assistant director to Mrs. Dinah L. Helgeson. Working, and being assistant conductor/director to such conductors as Mrs. Dinah L. Helgeson, Mr. John M. Trepp, Mr. Scott McKenzie (International Band Festival 2005), and Mr. Suichi Komiyama (International Band Festival 2006), and Dr. Geoffrey Boers (BICF 2006) exposed me to an international cast of great musicians and instructors from around the world. In June 2006, wrote my first soundtrack for a short film by my friend, Aaron Botwick.
My senior year 2006-2007 at ISB has given me many opportunities to perform and lead. I was the Student Music Director as well as the 1st pianist in the pit orchestra for ISB’s highly anticipated performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which was performed three times, each having a full house and received standing ovations for all three nights. I also worked on a number of pieces including a set of pieces entitled The Four Elements for the High School Dance team, the first movement of my first symphony entitled Abhaimani Symphony based on the Thai epic poem of the same name by Sunthorn Phu and a soundtrack for a fellow student film. Working on the music for The Four Elements which was used in the IASAS Dance Showcase 2006 as well as other dance groups at school in the past year remains a rewarding experience. I’ve also written an instrumental/choral piece based on a poem from Dante’s La Vita Nuova entitled Gentil pensero che parla di vui. In the end of 2006, I completed the Grade 8 Singing Examination of the ABRSM as well as the Grade 8 Examination in Music Theory (ABRSM).
Since my attendance at the International School Bangkok, a member of the six IASAS (International Association of Southeast Asian Schools) schools, I have been selected both years as a piano delegate to participate in the annual IASAS Cultural Convention. In 2007, I was nominated for Honor’s Recital in which I would be the first piano delegate at ISB to be nominated to perform as part of the Honor’s Recital at the IASAS Cultural Convention.
Now graduated, I am working on several projects including a score for next year’s Winter play at ISB, A Christmas Carol directed by Ms. Jo Hanson, whom I previously worked with during the Beauty and the Beast production. I am also working on a score for a computer game called The Battle of Hifiru as well as writing a chamber minimalist piece entitled Silver Linings on a Cloud.
Currently I am co-producing a computer game called Elemental Dimentalia with Kriangkrai Pipatvilaikul, a 3D model and game programmer from the New International School Thailand (NIST). Acting as composer, screenplay/script writer, and artistic supervisor, this is yet the biggest project I have worked on.
I am attending the Composer Expo 2007 in Los Angeles in July 2007 and plan to attend the Film Scoring Program at the UCLA Extension after which I will pursue a career as a film composer.
