Hoang Pham Tra Mi receives certificate

Hoang Pham Tra Mi made it to the third round of the Eighth Moscow International F. Chopin Competition for young pianists, which ended last week.

She was awarded US$1,000 and received a certificate of merit from the organising committee.

The Jury consisted of internationally distinguished musicians from different countries. The competition, known for being very difficult, has three rounds and then the finals.

A student of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, Mi has had success in several previous big competitions abroad. She won the Golden Prize at the Piano Academy Festival and Competition Cheonan (in South Korea), and the first prize for the under-15-year-old category at the Singapore International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010.

Philharmonic to perform in Japan

The Ha Noi Philharmonic Orchestra will take part in the Asia Orchestra Week in Tokyo (Japan) from October 1-6.

Under the conduction of Christian Schumann, the orchestra will play Rhapsody Vietnam by Do Hong Quan, along with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No1 in B-Flat Minor Op 23 and Symphony No 9 in E Minor Op 95.

Before the week-long event, the orchestra will perform those pieces in Ha Noi tomorrow at 8pm, at the Ha Noi Opera House, along with pianist Luu Hong Quang.

Hanoi to host German Oktoberfest

The 2012 Oktoberfest will be held in Hanoi on October 19-20, offering visitors the chance to wear traditional German clothes and drink draught beer imported from the EU nation.

They can also sample the country’s special dishes served by chefs from the Movenpick Hotel and listen to Bavarian music played by the famous Gaudiblonsn band from Munich.

German Ambassador Jutta Frasch said the festival will be a venue for people who want to learn more about German culture to gather together. It is expected to attract about 2,000 visitors.

This is the fourth time Hanoi has hosted such an event, sponsored by the German embassy in Vietnam and the German Business Association.

The world’s largest beer festival was launched in Munich, Germany on September 22. It will also be organized in various countries around the globe.

Asian Fund donates books to national library

The Asian Fund yesterday pledged to donate nearly US$6 million worth of books to the National Library of Viet Nam in the 2012-15 period.

A total of 120,000 books written in English would be sent to the library. The books cover many fields such as education, sciences, information technology, agriculture, economics and children's literature.

In addition, the Asian Fund has helped the library successfully carry out programmes to improve librarians' working capacity, develop reading skills and provide rural people with internet access.

Photographer shoots for top prize

Vietnamese photojournalist Tran Viet Van placed in the top 20 in the fourth international photo contest Peace Is...Peace is Not, hosted by the "World without War and Violence" organisation in Athens, Greece.

As many as 275 photographers from 53 countries participated in the contest. Each of them submitted a pair of photos for two themes: "Peace Is" and "Peace Is Not".

Van's entry includes a photo of Major General Nguyen Duc Huy lost in thought at one of Ha Noi's cemeteries, where many of his comrades were buried, and a photo of the retired general and his wife posing in their bedroom with their wedding photo 50 years ago.

Van was the only Vietnamese photographer to be placed on the shortlist.

Earlier this year, Van won the Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) photo contest for the fourth year in a row (2008-12).

Hanoi Cinematheque hosts design event

British designer May Cortazzi will appear at PechaKucha Night 5 at Hanoi Cinematheque tomorrow.

PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide.

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of chit chat, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

VNN/VOV/VNS