The festival was first organised in 2015 by Vietnamese-American violinist Vu Viet Chuong and violinist Bui Cong Duy.

This year’s event will open with American violinist Stephanie Chase in the “Stephanie Chase and Friends” concert at 8pm on August 18.

Chase, who has appeared with over 170 orchestras, will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

She will later play Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor with Duy, and then Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor with soloists Zhan Shu, Hoang Linh Chi and Chuong.

Quatuor Arod, an all-male string quartet from France, will give a concert at 4pm on August 19.

The quartet will perform Haydn’s String Quartet, Op 74, No 3, The Rider, Benjamin Attahir’s Al’ Asr, and Schumann’s String Quartet No 1.

Established in 2013, Quatuor Arod includes Jordan Victoria and Alexandre Vu (violins), Tanguy Parisot (viola) and Samy Rachid (cello).

The quartet won several top prizes at international chamber music competitions in Europe and has been invited to perform at numerous festivals in France, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and Japan.

At 8pm on the same day, the Gala Concert will feature violinists Duy and Chase, and Canadian violinist Christina Bouey, who will act as the evening’s concertmaster.

The concert will include Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins and Two Cellos, Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto, and Giovanni Bottesini’s Grand Duo Concerto for Violin and Double Bass.

Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and String Orchestra and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon will be featured.

Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, director of the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra, will lead the night.

Along with these musicians, the festival will also feature foreign guests such as Katie Wikesberg (violin), Michael Sinicropi (trumpet), John Scott (clarinet) and Elliot Figg (harpsichord), along with the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

The Opera House is located at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and at www.ticketbox.vn. — VNS