CSEAS Friday Lecture: Dr. Andrew Shahriari, Kent State University, School of Music

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies Presents:

Southeast Asia Lecture Series

Speaker: Dr. Andrew Shahriari, Kent State University, School of Music

Title: “Lanna Traditions: Music and Dance of North Thailand”

This presentation focuses on a variety of music and dance traditions found among the Lanna people of north Thailand.  Andrew Shahriari, an ethnomusicologist specializing in this region, will introduce several prominent musical activities, such as the Fingernail Dance (Faun Leb) and the phin pia, a chest-resonated stick zither. 

Dr. Andrew Shahriari is currently an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology and the Coordinator of Ethnomusicology at Kent State University, which maintains the oldest active Thai music ensemble in the United States. He researches popular world music, rock music history, music and culture, music and spirituality, as well as music therapy and autism. His fieldwork in Thailand resulted in the publication of Khon Muang Music and Dance Traditions of North Thailand (2006), which describes in detail the traditional music and dance of northern Thailand—the area of the former Lanna kingdom. National, regional, and local events, such as Spirit Dances, are also highlighted to reveal the wealth of vibrant musical activity found throughout the region. Part ethnomusicology, part travel guide, this book has been described as invaluable for serious students of Thai music, as well as for the many visitors from abroad who visit Chiang Mai and its environs every year, enabling them to understand and better appreciate the various traditional dances and music encountered during their stay. He is also the author of World Music: A Global Journey (Routledge), a textbook for music students.