Thai elephant orchestra thumps to a unique beat

By Gillian Murdoch

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Reuters Life!) - The Thai Elephant Orchestra is about to release a third CD and, like all real artists, the world's only non-human musical ensemble doesn't give a thump about the critics or the charts.

The 14-member group at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampung, northern Thailand, plays simple woodwinds, harmonicas, a few string instruments and drums under the guidance of maestro Dave Soldier, the orchestra's composer and co-founder.

Soldier, 51, spoke to Reuters about the project, which involves elephants who used to work in logging from which the beasts are now banned.

Q: What did you expect when you started with the group?

A: As far as I was concerned it was a true experiment. Richard Lair, co-founder and Director of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, didn't have any doubt that they could be trained to hit things using a stick. But as to whether they would make music or learn how to do it, we didn't know.

Q: Are some elephants more musical than others?

A: You could say that some of the elephants still don't "play" an instrument. Whereas other ones will walk up and do a solo ... There's no doubt about it, some have talent.

Q: Are there instruments they can't or won't play?