Tanatchaya (Tanya) Chanphanitpornkit, a double bassist from Trat, Thailand, is a conductor focused on inspiring and educating young musicians. As a double bassist, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Kodak Hall, and under the batons of Dr. Sandra Dackow, Jeffrey Grogan, Dr. Mark Scatterday, and Ankush Bahl.

Ms. Chanphanitpornkit received her education from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied the double bass with James VanDemark. At Eastman, she served as the President of the Eastman Students’ Association. Her contributions to the community earned her the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Leadership Award and Linda Muise Student Life Award for outstanding dedication, enthusiasm, and collaboration to promote and maintain a strong quality of life for all.

Ms. Chanphanitpornkit continued her education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where the emphasis of her Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees was on social justice through orchestral pedagogy and her pedagogy was highlighted in an exhibit for the Smith Learning Theater. Currently, she is continuing her studies as a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, where her research interests include first-generation college students at music conservatories.

Ms. Chanphanitpornkit expertise as a teacher ranges from working with toddlers to young adults. Having taught toddlers at the Eastman Community Music School and young musicians at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s El Sistema program and the New Jersey Youth Symphony summer camp for many years, she is thrilled to continue setting up young musicians for success in their musical endeavors.

Currently, Chanphanitpornkit teaches at LaGuardia High School. She is the conductor of Manhattan School of Music Precollege Symphony Orchestra and is the Music Director of New York Youth Symphony’s Crescendo Orchestra. Her higher education positions include Brooklyn College, Teachers College, Columbia University, William Paterson University, and The College of New Jersey. She is a co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Conduct.

Her previous positions include Assistant Conductor of the GRAMMY Award-winning New York Youth Symphony. In 2025, she was named Yamaha’s 40 Under 40 Music Educator and she is a quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award. Previously, she was awarded the Eastman Centennial Award, where in honor of its centennial year, Eastman created the Centennial Award to recognize 100 individuals who exemplify Eastman’s mission and legacy through their commitment to artistry, scholarship, leadership, community engagement, and/or philanthropy. In 2022, she was awarded the Early Career Award by Teachers College, Columbia University. As she continues on her journey in music education alongside her students, she will always base her decisions and teachings on the belief that the symphony is for everyone.

Listen to Tanya talk about Crescendo.