National orchestra to perform in Hanoi

The orchestra, conducted by Tran Nhat Minh, assistant manager and chorus master of the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra, will play Joseph Haydn’s Oboe Concerto in C major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento in D major for string ensemble and Franz Krommer’s most famous works for wind instruments Octet Partita in F major Op.57.

Oboe artist Nguyen Hoang Tung, considered one of Asia’s most promising oboe artists, will also take part.

The concert will start at 8:00 p.m at the Center Hall of the Vietnamese Culture Space Building, 16 Le Thai To.

Tickets cost VND 150,000 -200,000 and are now available at: PR Department of VNSO, 226 Cau Giay  Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien SKETCH Magazine, 25 Truong Han Sieu

SHOP, 8 Nha Chung and Center Hall of the Vietnamese Culture Space Building, 16 Le Thai To.

Audiences can also book tickets at: http://www.vnso.org.vn and http://ticketvn.com

Hue music institute debuts orchestras

The Hue Academy of Music has set up three orchestras to serve local audiences regularly as of March 22.

The traditional music orchestra, which consists of 40 musicians who are lecturers and students from the academy’s traditional musical instrument department, will give their first public performance on March 23.

The symphony orchestra with 60 musicians and a 100-member choir debuted on March 22.

Nguyen Ngoc Ban, a lecturer from the academy, said the orchestras were established to perform regularly for residents in and around the ancient capital.

Vietnam attends balloon festival in Malaysia

Vietnam has for the first time participated in the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, which took place in Malaysia from March 17-20.

The Vietnamese team brought five balloons carrying posters to call for votes for Ha Long Bay as one of the world’s seven wonders, to the event, which is the third of its kind so far.

The festival saw a total of 27 balloons of the US , Japan , Belgium , Switzerland , Netherlands , New Zealand , France , Germany , the UK , India , Thailand , Malaysia , Vietnam and Dubai ( United Arab Emirates ).

According to the Organising Board, the event attracted 300,000 domestic and foreign spectators.

101 moments of 101-year-old General Giap in HCMC

Showcasing 101 color and black and white photos, the exhibit revealing real life moments of the legendary military commander opened Tuesday at Reunification Palace.

Titled “101 moments of General Vo Nguyen Giap”, it displays photos of General Giap taken by journalist and photographer Tran Tuan of Vietnam News Agency.

Accompanying General Giap in many foreign visits and domestic trips throughout his 40 year career, Tran Tuan captured the simplicity and integrity of the living legend and brings him closer to his people through his candid works.

The exhibition will be held until March 26 and entrance is free.

Hue, HCMC to host French-speaking film fest

Seven movies from Belgium, Switzerland and France will take part in the Francophone Film Festival in Hue and Ho Chi Minh City next week.

Rumba, Unchain, Mozart Street, The Tata, Delice Paloma, Malice and Bedwin Hacker, to be subtitled in Vietnamese, will be screened from March 28 to April 3 at the French Institute for Cultural Exchange (IDECAF) in HCMC and from March 28 to April 5 at the French Culture Center in Hue.

Tickets to the festival, which cost VND 15,000 each, are now available at the French Culture Centre in Hue and embassies and consuls of countries taking part in the festival.

The festival is being organized by the Vietnamese Cinema Bureau and the Asia Pacific Office under the International Organization of Francophones.

Youth Theatre to raise money for Japan

Hanoi-based Youth Theatre will stage a show titled “Perfume of the Land” tonight to raise money for victims of the recent earthquake in Japan.

Combining installation and performance arts, the show will depict life in Vietnamese traditional craft villages.

Youth Theatre’s vice director Truong Nhuan said the show sought to raise people’s awareness about the beauty of the land and what the land might suffer as a result of natural disasters.

“Vietnam is one of the countries to be affected by climate change too,” Nhuan said. “If we don’t do anything now, our future generations will have to shoulder the consequences.”

All donations made by audience members and performing artists will be sent to the Japanese embassy in Hanoi after the show.

Tickets are available free of charge at Youth Theater, 11 Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street.

Dak Nong to buzz with national folk songs

The fourth Vietnam Folk Song Festival of the Central Highlands and the southern province of Binh Phuoc will be held in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong from March 25-27.

The festival will bring together professional singers from Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Binh Phuoc provinces, who will present 22 categories of traditional music, along with a number of amateur singers.

At the end of the festival, two first prizes (A), four second prizes (B) and six third prizes (C) will be presented to winners.

The biennial event aims to preserve original folk songs and create a healthy activity for Central Highlands residents, boosting national solidarity.

Academies join hands to develop music industry

The Vietnam National Academy of Music, Hue Academy of Music and Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will join hands for the first time to bolster the country’s music industry.

The cooperation highlights the fine traditional relations between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the central city of Hue, said the academies’ representatives at the signing ceremony held at the Hue Academy of Music on March 23.

The move is aimed at introducing the most typical music achievements and bringing into full play the strengths of each academy to improve their capacity in different areas such as training, research and performance, while helping to preserve and develop music assets in each region as well as the country.

On the occasion, the Hue Academy of Music debuted its 50-member symphony orchestra after 10 years of preparations.

Vietnamese culture shines in Malaysia

Vietnam and its people are being introduced at an international week and film festival in Malaysia from March 21-25.

The week-long event has been organised by Malaysia University in collaboration with embassies of those countries whose languages are taught at Malaysia University.

Ten countries: Japan, Germany, Russia, France and Portugal, as well as Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Thailand and Vietnam, are introducing their country and culture in pavilions showcasing handicrafts, traditional costumes, photographs and literature.

Vietnam’s pavilion attracted a lot of attention of visitors who left with a deep impression of the nation’s history, landscape, handicrafts and art.

Visitors to the Vietnamese pavilion were given a photo collection of Ha Long Bay and asked to vote for it to become one of the world’s seven new natural wonders.

During the event, the Vietnamese film "Mua Len Trau" (Buffalo Boy) was also screened along with other films about Ha Long, Da Nang and the Central Highlands.

Source: VNS