Jatava (formerly the Shounen-Thai Quartet) was founded in 2009 by a group of teenage musicians who grew up together and played music together since childhood. C0-founded by Somtow Sucharitkul, the concept of the quartet was to play “real music” — music that the professional quartets play — with all the passion and musicianship these young players could muster — and also to add a bit of “boy band” color to draw in wide audience and to appeal to young people as much as to seasoned music critics. In its first concert, the quartet played everything from Shostakovich to K-Pop.
The composition of the quartet has varied over the years with some members leaving to study abroad, but has always been drawn from the original group of friends. The quartet plays in all sorts of innovative settings as well as the concert hall, including museum galleries, shopping malls, and even in the middle of a farmer's market in rural Thailand. Its members (past and present) can claim to have been taught by some of the finest coaches and teachers in the world including Daniel Draganov, Vilmos Olah, and Midori.
Subsequently, the quartet members became simultaneously all the principal string players of the Siam Sinfonietta before going on to play in the major professional orchestras in the city.
The quartet has toured in the Czech Republic and in Bayreuth, Germany.
In 2017, the quartet changed its name to JATAVA, reflecting its more mature membership. Currently, its four members are members of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and section leaders of the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra. They are among the most sought-after musicians in Bangkok.