Jon Silpayamanant – cellist, composer, multi-instrumentalist

Louisville Asian Night Market 2025
2025-09-13 17:00 - 22:00 UTC | Fourth Street Live!, 411 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY, 40202, United States
Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble will be performing at the 4th annual Louisville Asian Night Market at 4th Street Live! Sponsored by the Crane House.

The Asian Night Market is BACK for 2025! Join us on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 5:00 to 10:00 PM at Fourth Street Live! for an exciting night of local food, retail vendors, live entertainment, and SO much more! Admission is FREE!

This is our 4th year bringing the culture and flavor of Asia to the heart of Louisville – and you won’t want to miss it!

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1633611574021121

https://crane-house.org/asian-night-market/

#FilmShortFridays: Armitage's "Star Theatre" (1901); score by Noiseman433
2025-10-03 12:00 - 12:30 | Virtual Event
#FilmShortFridays
LINK: https://youtu.be/m5M_OCecMyI
Short 1901 timelapse film by Frederick S. Armitage showing the demolition of the Star Theatre on Thirteenth Street and Broadway in New York City, New York. Score by Noiseman433.
“Using time-lapse photography, the film shows the demolition of the famous Star Theatre. Judging from the various exposures, the work must have gone on for a period of approximately thirty days. The theater opened in 1861 as “Wallack’s Theatre,” and was re-christened the “Star” in 1883. It was well known for it’s excellent productions, and a number of celebrated actors and actresses worked there, among them Ellen Terry. The celebrated English actor Henry Irving made his first stage appearance in America at the Star.”
The soundtrack is a new remix of Noiseman433’s (Jon Silpayamanant) live audio from “experiMENTAL” show at the Bloomington Playwright’s Project in Bloomington, Indiana. March 20, 2004. To listen to the original live recording, visit this link: https://soundcloud.com/jon-silpayamanant/noiseman433-live-performance
More info about the film short:
https://www.loc.gov/item/00694388
https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/t1-demolishing-and-building-up-the-star-theatre-1901
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000410/
About Noiseman433:
Noiseman433 is the solo noise project run by Jon Silpayamanant. Active since 1996, his first live performance was in November of 1999 in Greencastle, Indiana. From 1999 till 2007 he was actively touring around the Midwest and regularly performed in the Indianapolis and Central Indiana area.
In 2007, Noiseman433 relocated to the Louisville metro area and continues to perform intermittently. This film short score has been part of an ironically quiet celebration of the 25th year anniversary of live noise performance by Noiseman433.
https://www.facebook.com/Noiseman433
https://noiseman433.bandcamp.com/
Link to view will be posted on Friday, October 3, 2025 before the noon viewing time.
#FSF #FilmShortFridays

Raqs Maqom: Dance & Music of Central & West Asia
2025-10-19 14:00 - 15:30 | World Affairs Council Lobby, 223 South Fifth Street, Louisville, KY, 40202, United States
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – October 19, 2025 – Raqs Maqom, a collaborative project between the Crescent Moon Dance Company and Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble, is pleased to announce Dances & Music from Central & West Asia, a celebration of folk and classical arts from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang. The event is presented in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
Founded in 2008 by dancer Taletha Al Badr and musician Jon Silpayamanant, Raqs Maqom is currently led by Jo Hadley, founder and director of Crescent Moon Dance Company, and Jon Silpayamanant, founder and director of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.
The performance will showcase two dances each from Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. The dances feature choreographies by People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Viktoria Akilova, Muhabbat Beknazarova, Jo Hadley, Travis Jarrell, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Qadir Muminov, and Hanna Romanowsky of Ballet Afsaneh. Musical accompaniment for the dances, and the instrumental numbers performed in between have been arranged and adapted by Jon Silpayamanant for Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble.
The event is Free and all ages, but please RSVP at this link as space is limited: https://worldaffairscouncilofkentucky-bloom.kindful.com/e/see-paw-raqs-maqom-program

LibraryCon! 2025
2025-11-15 23:00 | Hamilton East Public Library, 5 Municipal Drive, Fishers, IN, 46038, United States
Jon will be joining il Troubadore for an appearance at the Hamilton East Public Library’s LibraryCon! 2025.

Join us from 11am to 3pm for a variety of free workshops, live performances, games, crafts, vendors, and more at our 2nd annual LibraryCon!
Schedule of Events*pre-registration recommended **pre-registration required
Drop in anytime 11am-3pm for:
-Food trucks and mobile coffee cart ($)-Versiti Blood Drive*-Community Corner-Artist Alley & Marketplace-Face painting and temporary glitter or airbrush tattoos-Learn-to-Play Dungeons & Dragons-Open board gaming and playtesting-GameStar Mobile video game truck-360° Photobooth-Scavenger Hunt (completion earns an entry into prize bundle drawing!)-Sticker Pixel Art-Roaming cosplay Star Wars Characters from Star Wars Indiana-Style Lab with Maker-in-Residence Matt DeLoughery*-Sensory Friendly Room-Random Fandom Art Exhibit

Scheduled Performances, Trivia, Workshops, and more!-Make and Take Fandom Chevron Bookmarks – 11am-1pm-Comics For All! with professional cartoonist David Reddick* – 11-11:45am-Trivia Showdown* – 11:15-11:50am-Forward Motion’s Eric Salazar & Ashton Vickery perform music from Legend of Zelda – 11:15am-12:15pm-Manga Button & Magnet Making – 11:30am-12:15pm-Teen Advisory Board’s Charades with a Twist – 12-12:45pm-Comics For All! with professional cartoonist David Reddick* 2nd Session – 12-12:45pm-Cosplay Group Photo Op #1 – 12:30pm-il Troubadore Performance – 12:45-1:45pm-Trivia Showdown* 2nd session – 1-1:45pm-LEGO Open Building – 1:30-3pm-Miniature Painting with Levi Huddleson** – 1:30-3pm-Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Performance – 2-2:45pm-Teen Mario Kart Tournament – 2-2:45pm-Cosplay Group Photo Op #2 – 2:50pm

For more information visit our blog: https://hamiltoneastpl.org/librarycon-2025/

Sean Hamilton, R Keenan Lawler, and Noiseman433
2025-11-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Cave Valley Kava, 2115 Crums Lane, Louisville, 40216, United States
Jon will appear as Noiseman433 at the Cave Valley Kava on November 16, 2025.

Sean Hamilton
R Keenan Lawler
Noiseman433

Cave Valley Kava
November 16
8:00pm
All ages $10

https://www.seanhamiltonmusic.com/
https://rkeenanlawler.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/noiseman433

The Global Cello: International Education Week
2025-11-19 19:00 - 20:30 | KY
Jon will be presenting a Global Cello event during International Education Week. The recital will feature composers from around the world and from various diasporic backgrounds.
November 19, 2025
Venue TBC

OPENING TALK: Art by Jon Silpayamanant
2025-12-03 18:30 - 20:00 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
ART BY JON SILPAYAMANANT: OPENING/TALK
South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence Room
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 6:30-8:00PM
As Part of Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency, artistic director and visual artist Jon Silpayamanant will have artworks on display in the Artist-in-Residence Room at the South Central Regional Library. The works will be on display in the space from Dec 3-29.
An informal opening for the show will take place on Wednesday, December 3 from 6:30 to 8:00PM with the artist who will talk about his artistic journey exploring traditional and hybridized artforms from Southeast Asia and what it means to be an Asian American artist in the 21st century. While the Artist-in-Residence Room will only be open when the artist is actually in the space, the works will be viewable from outside the room as the walls are entirely composed of glass.
The artist talk with Jon Silpayamanant is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: https://www.sawpeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SouthCentralRegionalLibrary-Floorplan.jpg
Artist-in-Residence Room
South Central Regional Library
7300 Jefferson Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40219
(502) 964-3515
www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Program
https://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150
About Jon Silpayamanant:
Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural artist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.
www.silpayamanant.com

Presentation: The KAAPA Project (Kentuckiana Asian American Performing Arts)
2025-12-06 15:00 - 16:00 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
The KAAPA Project (Kentuckiana Asian American Performing Arts)

South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence RoomSaturday, December 6, 2025, 3-4PM
Come hear a presentation on the history of Asian & Asian American Performing Arts in Kentuckiana by Jon Silpayamanant and Divya Karthikeyan. Jon and Divya will also talk about creating the KAAPA (Kentuckiana Asian American Performing Arts) Project, a news site, resource, archive, and curated list compiling and reporting on current and historical events by performers and performing arts organizations which focus on Asian and Asian American arts, and the performing arts of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, in the greater Kentuckiana area.
https://www.facebook.com/KAAPAProject/
The presentation Kentuckiana Asian American Performing Arts is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: https://www.sawpeep.com/…/SouthCentralRegionalLibrary…
Artist-in-Residence RoomSouth Central Regional Library7300 Jefferson Blvd.Louisville, KY 40219(502) 964-3515www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Programhttps://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150
About Jon Silpayamanant:Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural artist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.www.silpayamanant.com
About Divya Karthikeyan:Divya Karthikeyan is a reporter and audio producer based in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally from Chennai, India, she’s reported for national and international outlets on politics, climate change, gender and caste inequality in India.

Asian Group Folk Dance Workshop
2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
Join COLLIDER Artists-in-Residence Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble for this workshop and learn some folk dances from Asia. Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble regularly collaborate with local and regional Asian dance performers, and some of those dancers and organizations will teach group and line dances accompanied by live music from Saw Peep! Ages 12-99. Space is limited and registration is required. Email Liz.Magee@LFPL.org to sign up.

The Global Cello: Asian Fiddles
2025-12-13 08:00 - 15:00 | KY
THE GLOBAL CELLO: ASIAN FIDDLES
South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence Room
Saturday, December 13, 2025, 3-3:45PM
Come hear and see a wide variety of Asian Fiddles in this presentation/demonstration by Jon Silpayamanant. Instruments are from his personal collection which he uses in performances as a solo artist and in the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble which he founded and directs.
‘Asian Fiddles’ is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: www.sawpeep.com/southcentralregionallibrary-floorplan )
Artist-in-Residence Room
South Central Regional Library
7300 Jefferson Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40219
(502) 964-3515
www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Program
www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150
About Jon Silpayamanant:
Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.
As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and create systems of exclusion.
www.silpayamanant.com
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1535021327501405

Presentation: Asian String Band Music
2025-12-16 19:00 - 19:45 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
ASIAN STRING BAND MUSIC
South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence RoomTuesday, December 16, 2025, 7-7:45PM
Did you know that Asia has string band traditions? When we think about string bands the image that comes to mind are old-time or jazz ensembles made up mainly or solely of string instruments that were especially popular in the 1920s and 1930s but have been making a comeback. Some of the oldest Asian string bands, like kronchong in Indonesia and rondalya in the Philippines, date back to the early colonial period in the 1600s.
Come hear and see a wide variety of Asian String Band ensembles and genres in this presentation by Jon Silpayamanant. Jon will talk about some of the string band music that Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble performes and demonstrate some instruments from his personal collection which he uses in performances with Saw Peep. In the presentation, you will also get a glimpse of the string band world created by generations of Asian immigrants in the US.
‘Asian String Band Music’ is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: https://www.sawpeep.com/southcentralregionallibrary… )
Artist-in-Residence RoomSouth Central Regional Library7300 Jefferson Blvd.Louisville, KY 40219(502) 964-3515www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Programhttps://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150
About Jon Silpayamanant:Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.
As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and create systems of exclusion.

Open Rehearsal and Q&A with Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble
2025-12-20 14:00 - 16:00 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
Open Rehearsal and Q&A with Saw PeepOPEN REHEARSAL AND Q&A WITH SAW PEEP
South Central Regional LibrarySaturday, December 20, 2-4pm
Come and experience an open rehearsal with Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble. We’ll talk about how we choose repertoire and show you the rehearsal process for adapting Asian music for our ensemble and instrumentation. There will be a Q&A session at the end, but feel free to ask questions during the open rehearsal as well!
This event is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library but requires registration (link to be given at a future date).
Artist-in-Residence RoomSouth Central Regional Library7300 Jefferson Blvd.Louisville, KY 40219(502) 964-3515www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library
About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Programhttps://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150

The Global Cello
2025-12-31 11:00 - 11:45 | South Central Regional Library, 7300 Jefferson Boulevard, Louisville, 40219, United States
THE GLOBAL CELLO

South Central Regional Library: Artist-in-Residence Room Saturday, December 31, 2025, 11-11:45AM

Come hear and see a presentation/demonstration about Jon Silpayamanant’s Global Cello project. Jon will talk about the origins of the project and its mission to present the cello in all its global variety. With repertoire written for the cello from diverse composers to adapting works for the cello from other string traditions, Jon will give a much more inclusive history of how the cello and string repertories have developed globally.

‘The Global Cello’ is Free and open to all ages and is part of the Saw Peep Pan-Asian Ensemble’s COLLIDER Residency at the South Central Regional Library and will take place in the Artist-in-Residence Room (No. 7 on this map of the library: https://www.sawpeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SouthCentralRegionalLibrary-Floorplan.jpg )

Artist-in-Residence Room South Central Regional Library 7300 Jefferson Blvd. Louisville, KY 40219 (502) 964-3515 www.lfpl.org/south-central-regional-library

About the COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence Program https://www.lfpl.org/lifelong-learning#150

About Jon Silpayamanant: Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.

As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and create systems of exclusion. www.silpayamanant.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/1394542682271850/

Cello Fest
2026-01-25 17:00 - 20:00 | Surface Noise, 600 Baxter Avenue, Louisville, IN, 40204, United States
Please join us on January 24-25th for our inaugural Cello Fest, featuring Surface Noise mainstays Jon Silpayamanant and Ellen Weis, our new friend Chris Cupp, and a very special appearance by Kate Wakefield–whom we have not had the pleasure of hosting since Lung headlined our Second Anniversary Bash back in 2018! Those were the days, y’all, and these will surely be something else entirely–only at Surface Noise!

Flyer by @katewakefieldmusic !!

January 24, 7PM
January 25, 5PM

https://www.facebook.com/surfacenoiserecords/posts/pfbid022zoSV9VRGNJuy84Z6ANq9Fth1HGAVypiUCA9hhxiDBPd2aMxgRF67QD4tptEnuLgl

Creative Mayhem Summit #18: Musical/Visual Improvised Performance
2026-02-11 08:00 - 17:00 | Belmar Studio Arts, 1206 Belmar Drive, Louisville, KY, 40214, United States
Creative Mayhem Summit #18: Musical/Visual Improvised Performance
Painting inspires music inspires painting in the moment. Come enjoy (and participate in) an interdisciplinary improvised collaboration between musicians Misha Feigin, Jon Silpayamant and visual artists Bart Galloway and Luis De León.
This is a very kid friendly event with audience participation possible.
There is a $10 suggested donation. Kids get in free.There is some parking at the Studio. Overflow parking can be found across Preston Highway at Aldi.
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Creative Mayhem Summits
More information about Creative Mayhem Summits and the participants:
Bart Galloway began presenting what would evolve into the Creative Mayhem Summits back in 1996 while teaching studio fine arts at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS. In his own paintings and drawings, he was exploring the relationships between the concepts of Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, “Action” Painting and Jazz theory inspired by the music of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman’s “Harmolodics”, European Free Improvised Music among others.
Bart was curious to see if improvising painters could connect emotionally, intellectually and artistically in the moment with musicians on stage. And would the musicians respond in kind. The answer was an emphatic YES!
It was at this time that Bart was fortunate to come under the mentorship of drummer Alvin Fielder, a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (https://www.aacmchicago.org/). With Alvin’s help, Bart began to produce interdisciplinary performances with the likes of Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Joel Futterman, Davey Williams, Dave Dove, Assif Tsahar and Susie Ibarra.
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Misha Feigin
Misha Feigin was born and raised in Moscow and known as one of Russia’s premier guitarists. He released two albums on the state label Melodiya. Since moving to the U.S. in 1990, Misha has been featured on National Public Radio and BBC. He has toured throughout North America and Europe releasing twelve CDs in America and Germany, and two in Great Britain on Leo Records. Misha shared the stage/recorded with Elliot Sharp, Steve Beresford , Dave Liebman, and Eugene Chadbourne, He performed on many prestigious stages such as Moscow’s Concert Hall Russia, Washington’s Kennedy Center, and Vancouver Jazz Festival.Misha Feigin won the Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry in 2000 and was awarded the Al Smith Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction in 2002. His books include a novel Searching for Irina and a book of poetry, The Last Word in Astronomy, both by Fleur Publishing. Misha’s, collections of poetry, Abraham’s Bagel, Skippers in Training, and Cloud Letters, all by AvidReaders publishing Group. Misha’s latest book is a free style travelogue Tribal Diaries, a book of lyrical observations. Misha currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
https://mishafeigin2.bandcamp.com/https://mishafeigin.free-jazz.net/
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Jon Silpayamanant
Born in Udon Thani, Thailand Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, cellist, and music educator based in the greater Louisville and Kentuckiana area.As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and create systems of exclusion.
https://www.silpayamanant.com/
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Luis De Léon
Luis De Léon studied elementary school in Guatemala and Mexico. In high school, he took some drawing classes, then moved to Guatemala City to study Communication Sciences at Rafael Landívar University. During this time, he took drawing classes with an artist collective in Cerrito del Carmen.
His drawings reflect his search for his own style. His strokes are influenced by Shel Silverstein, Martin Prechtel, and Tim Burton. With his drawings, Luis aims to offer a moment of reflection and provoke more than a few laughs in the viewer. Luis changed his perspective on the world after starting to draw; he finds shapes in things and carries a camera with him to capture images and turn them into drawings.
In addition to playing with Appalatin, Luis is also a member of Hot Coffee Breakdown, Yapa, Tristen Brooke, Joann Bellanova, and Nick Teale. Whether he’s waiting for soundchecks or traveling, he takes advantage of the opportunity to paint and capture those moments.
https://luisdeleonsite.com/https://www.facebook.com/LuisDeLeonArt
