Suriyakham was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A former professional hip-hop dancer, he graduated from the Prince Royal’s College and attended Payap University for one year. In 1993, he started his clarinet studies at California State University at Northridge. In 1995, he transferred to Chicago College of the Performing Arts of Roosevelt University in Chicago where he received a full scholarship to complete his orchestral studies. In 1998, Suriyakham won the concerto competition at Roosevelt University. He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony, for two seasons. He has performed with conductors and musicians including Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma, Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Hilary Hahn, and Leonard Slatkin.
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