Thailand’s Elephant Orchestra
By tyler on Jul 6, 2008 in Bands/Musicians, Nature
Speaking of animal musicians, The Thai Elephant Orchestra is just that. Composed of up to sixteen elephants, this wild group of musicians perform human-guided musical improvisations on enormous xylophones, harmonicas, drums, gongs and other instruments.
The animation below is a 4 minute music video featuring The Thai Elephant Orchestra’s music and paintings.
“Temple Music” from the The Thai Elephant Orchestra’s self-titled album:
“Little Elephant Saddle” from the The Thai Elephant Orchestra’s album Elephonic Rhapsodies:
The Thai Elephant orchestra is from Lampang, Thailand where Richard Lair (of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center) and composer Dave Soldier direct elephant music to help save the elephant musicians from poaching and the deforestation their natural forest habitats. The Thai Elephant Orchestra has released two CDs and have a third on the way! Half of the profits go to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center.
Elephants rank as some of the most intelligent creatures on Earth. Their problem solving skills are on par with that of the dolphin. They can perform complex tasks such as painting and playing music. Elephants perform death rituals and mourn over the loss of friends, family, and ancient ancestors. They possess advanced emotions such as a sense of humor, grief, and self-awareness. Wikipedia
Thailand’s elephant population is dramatically threatened by deforestation, poaching for ivory, illegal logging, and commercialization of the dwindling forest reserves. FAO.org
Help save these magnificent creatures while treating yourself to some elephant music!
Visit The Thai Elephant Orchestra.
From: Sarah | Oct 17, 2008 | Reply
I really loved the music that your very talented elephants were playing. Thank you so much for making this web page so that my daughter and I could enjoy it all.