Bruce Gaston (11 March 1946 or 1947 – 17 October 2021) was an American musician who lived in Thailand and helped pioneer a contemporary style of

Thai classical music The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Africa, Greece and Rome. Traditional Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient ...

through the Fong Naam band, which he co-founded with Boonyong Ketkong and Jirapan Ansvananda. Bruce Gaston was born on 11 March 1946 or 1947 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California. He studied music at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, obtaining a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's in music in 1969, before electing to work in Thailand under alternative service as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He established a music education program at Payap College (now Payap University) in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

, learned Thai classical music, and settled down in the country. He met National Artist Boonyong in 1979, and in 1981 they formed the Fong Naam band, which experimented with the classical tradition by blending in elements of Western electronic music, forming a new contemporary movement. In 2003, he co-founded

Gitameit The Gitameit Music Institute ( my, ဂီတမိတ် ဂီတသင်တန်းကျောင်း) is a non-profit music school and community centre in Yankin Township, Yangon, Myanmar. The school offers holistic music programs that i ...

, a music school, in

Yangon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

, Myanmar. Gaston received an honorary

Silpathorn Award The Silpathorn Award, th, รางวัลศิลปาธร, is an honour for living Thailand, Thai contemporary artists presented annually by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture of Thailand. The awards were estab ...

in 2009 for his contributions to the field. Gaston died on 17 October 2021 in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

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* * Bruce Gaston Bruce Gaston Bruce Gaston American expatriates in Thailand Musicians from Los Angeles American conscientious objectors 2021 deaths 1940s births {{Thailand-bio-stub