A fancy name for 'About Us' in which to tell our audience about the philosophy behind the whole La CoffeeMelodie Suite idea!!!!
Why Coffee?
Because 'Coffee' is the English equivalent of a nickname given, at birth, to the soprano behind La CoffeeMelodie Suite.Who is Coffee?
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a baby girl was born. There was nothing extraordinary about her, except that she came with a head full of thick dark hair that resembled one of The Beatles, and a pair of huge dark-colored eyes. What really struck everyone, though, was that her skin color was reddish brown, unlike her fair-skinned mother or her deep, dark brown-skinned father. That- along with her father's addiction to coffee- was when they decided that her nickname was to be 'Gafaae,' which translates to 'Coffee' in English.
What about Melodie, and why is it not spelled the normal way?
If there was anything else special about baby Coffee - besides her thick head of dark hair, big black eyes and her unusually dark reddish brown skin - it would be her voice and her musicality, which shone through even at a very young age. The course of life has taken Coffee from her homeland to the western part of the world, back to her homeland, then back once again to this part of the world, where she finally has a chance to fulfill her dreams both as a musician and as a person who wants to make the world a better place. Her life's journey has given her the opportunity to explore things from different aspects, to try different things, and to put all that she has learned and experienced together to create something else even better.
So, while at first glance there is nothing remarkable about her, there is really nothing normal about baby Coffee, now a fully-grown adult who loves fiercely her family and her music. When Coffee makes melody, she goes beyond simply making 'melody.' This is why we think that, in naming her enter prise, it can be anyhing but normal. CoffeeMelodie, therefore, fits very well with her unusual character. We make it La CoffeeMelodie Suite because there is more than just a soprano in this Coffee.
So, while at first glance there is nothing remarkable about her, there is really nothing normal about baby Coffee, now a fully-grown adult who loves fiercely her family and her music. When Coffee makes melody, she goes beyond simply making 'melody.' This is why we think that, in naming her enter prise, it can be anyhing but normal. CoffeeMelodie, therefore, fits very well with her unusual character. We make it La CoffeeMelodie Suite because there is more than just a soprano in this Coffee.
From Coffee (bean) to a voice major?
At the tim e Coffee was growing up, the Thai phrase 'sing to eat, dance to eat' extended its meaning to professional musicians. Child-stars were frowned upon and would not be recognized until much later, and no good parent would support his child's musical talent. In fact, they would try to suppress and shield it. Just like anywhere else in the world, even up until now, the music profession was not regarded either as a real career, nor a proper career for scholars and those from 'good' fa milies. Baby Gafaae was not an exception. Her parents tried hard to guide her away because there were already two successful (yet still not noble) musicians in her father's side of the family.
Throughout her life, Gafaae has had to fight for her beliefs. It was drilled into her head that she was to go to 'real' school, to graduate with hgh rank, and to carry on the family's import/export marketing business and to continue building the business empire. She was allowed to sing only at special occasions and only with the pieces that were chosen for her. Sadly a nd confusedly, she obeyed. One day, however, in a land far away from home, a young adult Coffee ready to go off to college was asked, '...with so much passion in music and that singing voice you have, why don't you apply to a music school so you can have formal study? Why not follow your dream and make it come true?'
Up to the present day, Gaf aae recalls only two wake-up calls, and the first was that very question. She secretly applied to a music school in the northeast and, with help from family friends, went for an audition. Only after she received her acceptance from the college did she break the news to her parents. Instead of congratulations, though, her mother showed up at her doorstep. After a long lecture, her mother decided to let Co ffee attend the music school to learn 'how to' sing (chuckled), so that her daughter would have her 'fun' instead of getting a 'real' education, but only after asking from Gafaae that she would promise to return home to Thailand immediately after her graduation where, with guidance, she could take the business and expand its empire into the next century. If her mother had paid attention, though, she would have realized that Gafaae never ga ve her that promise. She had put her hands together and 'wai' her mother with her head bowed to her chest - a manner that expresses respect to the elderly- but the promise was never made. Later on, Gafaae realized how passionate she felt about singing and kept buying time to keep her away from the family obligations, to more studying (how much more studying can there be for singing?) to getting married to the man that she loved - a law degree graduate who came to the music school for an artist diploma in opera - whom she met on stage - while she was still an under graduate student - at the opening of the second act of Puccini's opera La Boheme.
Throughout her life, Gafaae has had to fight for her beliefs. It was drilled into her head that she was to go to 'real' school, to graduate with hgh rank, and to carry on the family's import/export marketing business and to continue building the business empire. She was allowed to sing only at special occasions and only with the pieces that were chosen for her. Sadly a nd confusedly, she obeyed. One day, however, in a land far away from home, a young adult Coffee ready to go off to college was asked, '...with so much passion in music and that singing voice you have, why don't you apply to a music school so you can have formal study? Why not follow your dream and make it come true?'
Up to the present day, Gaf aae recalls only two wake-up calls, and the first was that very question. She secretly applied to a music school in the northeast and, with help from family friends, went for an audition. Only after she received her acceptance from the college did she break the news to her parents. Instead of congratulations, though, her mother showed up at her doorstep. After a long lecture, her mother decided to let Co ffee attend the music school to learn 'how to' sing (chuckled), so that her daughter would have her 'fun' instead of getting a 'real' education, but only after asking from Gafaae that she would promise to return home to Thailand immediately after her graduation where, with guidance, she could take the business and expand its empire into the next century. If her mother had paid attention, though, she would have realized that Gafaae never ga ve her that promise. She had put her hands together and 'wai' her mother with her head bowed to her chest - a manner that expresses respect to the elderly- but the promise was never made. Later on, Gafaae realized how passionate she felt about singing and kept buying time to keep her away from the family obligations, to more studying (how much more studying can there be for singing?) to getting married to the man that she loved - a law degree graduate who came to the music school for an artist diploma in opera - whom she met on stage - while she was still an under graduate student - at the opening of the second act of Puccini's opera La Boheme.
To be continued....
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