Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) in cooperation with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) yesterday announced the Toyota Concert Tour 2016 with the theme of Russian classical music.

Toyota Concert Tour 2016 will bring audiences back to the 19th century with Russian classical melodies, the motherland of world’s outstanding composers such as the father of Russian classical music Glinka, Rachmaninov, and Tchaikovsky.

“Toyota Concert Tour is a joint project between TMV and VNSO with the aim to bring classical music closer to the public audience. This is also a social activity to raise money for the Toyota Vietnam Foundation, which grants scholarships to young Vietnamese music talents,” shared VNSO’s director Nguyen Tri Dung.

“Unlike the previous concerts which performed short and familiar melodies, this year’s concert will introduce greater compositions to target the audience with more sophisticated taste.”

With the lead of conductor Honna Tetsuji, VNSO’s musical director and principal conductor, the concert will take place at Hanoi Opera House from August 5-6 and at Ho Chi Minh City Municipal Theater from August 10-11. This year Toyota Concert Tour welcomes the first-time presence of piano soloist Vu Ngoc Linh, who has earned several awards including the first prize in the Piano and Orchestra competition in New Jersey in 2004 and the second prize by the Music Teachers’ Association of New Jersey and the US in 2005.

Having studied in Moscow and the US, Vu Ngoc Linh shared that Russian classical music had a strong influence in his career.

“When I play a work from a Russian composer, I feel emotional and connected. I want to deliver that emotion to the audience and hopefully I can succeed in the upcoming concert tour,” Linh said.

Over 18 years, Toyota Concert Tour has successfully organised 58 night concerts, moving the heart of 34,500 audiences. “We want to contribute more to the local society, especially enriching people’s quality of living. Moreover, all the money from selling tickets will be donated to Toyota Vietnam Foundation, which have granted 645 scholarships to Vietnamese music talents since its establishment,” shared Doan Thi Yen, deputy general director of Toyota Motor Vietnam.

Tickets are priced at VND300,000-500,000-700,000 ($15-25-35) and VND100,000 ($10) for students.

VIR