VietNamNet Bridge – The Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra will launch its 2016 season with a celebration of old world traditions in a contemporary light – the concert entitled “New Worlds”.

Led by Music Director Adrian Tan, highlights of the program include the world premiere of Vietnamese composer Dinh Lang’s Concerto for 16-chord zither (Dan Tranh) with acclaimed virtuoso Nguyen Hai Phuong and the orchestral debut of prize-winning young pianist Tran Yen Nhi in Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Rounding the program is Antonin Dvorak’s ever-popular Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” with which he advocates African-American melodies as American folk songs and the foundation for the “future music of this country”.

The concert will take place at 7.30pm, January 22 at the Concert Hall of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1, HCM City.

Tickets (VND200,000-VND250,000) are now available at 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

Contact: 0903.034.112 or email: giaohuongsaigon@gmail.com

Music Director Adrian Tan

Young talent Tran Yen Nhi was born in a family of musicians. She started her piano lessons at the age of 6 and at 8 she enrolled at Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Meritorious Teacher Tran Thanh Thao. At the age of 14, she was accepted to follow the program of the Central Music School (Moscow) under the guidance of Honored Artist N.Makarova.

While studying, she won many national and international prizes, including First Prize of the National Piano Competition "Autumn Concours" (Vietnam-2007), Grand-Prix of the International Music Competition "Serebrian Kamerton" (Russia-2013), Second Prize of the International Piano Competition "Nasedkin" (Russia-2014). She participated in many concerts as a soloist in Vietnam, Russia, Bulgaria, America and others.

Currently, she is a student under the guidance of Prof. V.Pysetsky at Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow).

Nguyen Hai Phuong was introduced to the dan tranh (a Vietnamese 16-stringed zither) at the tender age of five and began her formal training on the instrument at the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City two years later. After gaining mastery of the dan tranh over a period of 21 years, Hai Phuong graduated from the Conservatory as the best in her class.

Young talent Tran Yen Nhi

She won the Silver medal at Ho Chi Minh City's Festival of Singers, Dancers and Professional Musicians in 1989, and First prize at the "National Competition of Dan Tranh Young Talents" in 1992 for her interpretation of new compositions.

Hai Phuong has performed at numerous concerts and international music festivals across the globe. Tokyo Symphony Orchestra invited her to perform a musical piece of Nguyen Xinh on the dan bau (a Vietnamese monochord guitar) at the ACL (Asian Composers League) Music Festival in 2000 to commemorate Vietnamese Music Day.

Following in the footsteps of her mother Pham Thuy Hoan, a highly respected musician, Hai Phuong now teaches dan tranh at the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City. She is also the co-founder of Tieng Hat Que Huong, a school that teaches all age groups to play the dan tranh.

T. Van