Music

Swedish chorus to appear in concert “God in Disguise”By Bradley Winterton The Gustav Sjokvist Chamber Choir - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - After a month’s break, the HCMC Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) is opening its new season with a major performance by a visiting choir from Sweden. On Saturday, March 2, the Gustav Sjokvist Chamber Choir will perform a variety of mostly Swedish compositions in the Saigon Opera House, with the assistance of Vietnamese artists. The occasion is in celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Vietnam. The Saigon concert follows an evening of Swedish jazz plus choir, to be staged in Hanoi on February 25. The title of the Saigon concert is “God in Disguise”.  This refers to the title of the longest item in the program, a highly melodic lyrical suite composed in 1940 by Lars-Erik Larsson (1908 – 1986). The story is the ancient Greek one of the god Apollo appearing for … [Read more...] about Swedish chorus to appear in concert “God in Disguise”

Boney M and Joy to perform in Hanoi next monthThe Saigon Times Daily Boney M’s lead singer Liz Mitchell performs at My Dinh National Convention Center in October 2016 - PHOTO: VNA HCMC - World-renowned disco bands Boney M and Joy will hold a live concert at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on March 8, starting at 8 p.m. This will be Boney M’s third show in Vietnam after their impressive performances at My Dinh National Convention Center in October 2016 and at Vinpearl Nha Trang in August 2018, according to the Vietnam News Agency. The band will sing their hits from the album Boney M 79 and some other songs by famous divas like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. “On March 8 I will be coming to Hanoi on Women’s Day. I look forward to seeing everyone. Happy New Year Hanoi,” said Boney M’s lead singer Liz Mitchell in a recent video. Boney M will share the stage with the Austrian disco trio Joy, who will perform in Vietnam for the first … [Read more...] about Boney M and Joy to perform in Hanoi next month

Spanish pianist to perform in HCMCThe Saigon Times Daily Hilario Segovia will share the stage with Nguyen Bao Anh and Matthew Wu in the upcoming Chamber Music Concert - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - Hilario Segovia, Spanish pianist and teacher at the Superior Conservatory of Castellón, will perform in a Chamber Music Concert at the Auditorium of the HCMC Conservatory of Music on November 30, starting at 8 p.m. The event will offer a varied menu of famous works by Spanish and international authors. In this concert, Hilario Segovia will be accompanied by Nguyen Bao Anh, Vietnamese bassoonist now living in Hong Kong and artistic director of the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra, and Matthew Wu, flute artist and chairman of the Hong Kong International Flute Competition. The repertoire will start with Beethoven Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon in G major, WoO. 37, and continue with Three Romances of Schumann for bassoon and piano Op. 94. In the second half of the … [Read more...] about Spanish pianist to perform in HCMC

Austrian pianist to perform in VietnamThe Saigon Times Daily Robert Lehrbaumer will perform in HCMC and Hanoi to mark 100 years of the Republic of Austria - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - Famous Austrian conductor, pianist and organist Robert Lehrbaumer will perform two piano concerts in Vietnam, with one in HCMC and the other in Hanoi. The “Music from Vienna and about Vienna” program is organized by the Austrian Embassy in Hanoi in coordination with the Performing Arts Organization Center under the Department of Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Austria. The program will take place at the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi on November 13 and at the HCMC Conservatory of Music on November 15. Born in Vienna, Lehrbaumer started his career at the age of nine when he made his appearance as a pianist in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Since then, concert tours … [Read more...] about Austrian pianist to perform in Vietnam

The Clarinet and Johannes BrahmsBy Bradley Winterton HBSO’s “Clarinet and Johannes Brahms” night will feature Nguyen Tuan Loc, a member of the HBSO orchestra - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - The HCMC Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will present a program of clarinet music, plus Brahms’s finest symphony, in the Saigon Opera House on Sunday, November 18. The clarinet was virtually discovered by Mozart, who went on to write two of his most loved works for it. Since then the instrument has attracted a range of composers, including Mendelssohn, whose Concert Piece No:2 in D Minor for Two Clarinets and Orchestra is included in the HBSO program. Modern composers have taken to the instrument as well. Oscar Navarro is one example. Born in Spain in 1981, he completed his Clarinet Concerto Number 1, which opens the HBSO program, in 2006. It’s as sensuous, dynamic and colorful a piece as anyone could wish for. Navarro has received innumerable … [Read more...] about The Clarinet and Johannes Brahms

LIAN App Festival lures pop starsBy Minh Tuan Singer Dam Vinh Hung performs at LIAN App Festival - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - Music stars My Tam and Dam Vinh Hung, joined by favorite singers Dong Nhi, Issac, Duc Phuc, and Ho Trung Dung, stirred up excitement at the LIAN App Festival with explosive performances at Quan Khu 7 Stadium in HCMC last week. Launched on October 30, LIAN is the first automatic insurance application in Vietnam. The app was created by South African Honorary Consul Do Thi Kim Lien, who also has nearly 30 years in the insurance sector, and operated by VASS Assurance Corporation. According to Lien, the LIAN app enables customers to instantly buy insurance online while receiving compensation within 30 seconds. Besides enjoying exciting music performances, more than 4,000 visitors to the festival were invited to experience the app and explore its services, benefits and convenience. Within two days after the app was launched, it saw an impressive … [Read more...] about LIAN App Festival lures pop stars

Toyota Classics concert set for Nov 17 in HCMCBy Le Hoang Artists perform at a press conference on the Toyota Classics 2018 - PHOTO: HUNG LE HCMC - Toyota Motor Asia Pacific and Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) ) in cooperation with the Vietnam Performing Arts Center will organize the Toyota Classics charity concert in HCMC on November 17. The concert at the Saigon Opera House will feature world-famous Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment from London, under the baton of Steven Devine, a music director and a celebrated harpsichordist. Tickets cost VND700,000, VND1 million and VND1.2 million and are available at  the Opera House. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the “Toyota Scholarship for Vietnam Young Music Talents” program. “Over the last 20 years, Toyota Classics has been annually organized to bring the world-class classical music closer to music lovers in Vietnam, especially contributing to the development of the Vietnamese music … [Read more...] about Toyota Classics concert set for Nov 17 in HCMC

World renowned artists gather at Saigon International Guitar FestivalThe Saigon Times Daily Guitarist Tamonori Arai from Japan is one of the international artists to perform at the Saigon International Guitar Festival - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - Famous guitarists from all over the world will join Vietnamese artists in the Saigon International Guitar Festival which will be held at the HCMC Conservatory of Music in District 1 from October 31 to November 4. A concert titled “Italian Voices to Chaconnes by the Masters” will open the festival on October 31, featuring classical guitarist Gérard Abiton from France, Thu Le from Vietnam, Lorenzo from Italy, the Guitar Saigon Ensemble, and the Vietnam Guitar Ensemble.  It will be followed by an event called “Serenade of the Festival” during which works by Schubert, Merlin and Paganini will be played by guitarists Kim Chung (Vietnam), Leon Koudelak (Czech Republic), and the duo Rene … [Read more...] about World renowned artists gather at Saigon International Guitar Festival

Heart Beat to host masterclass on production of techno The Saigon Times Daily Zadig will be the special guest in Heart Beat’s masterclass on production of techno - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HEART BEAT HCMC - Heart Beat will host a workshop on the Paris techno scene in the Observatory club in District 1, HCMC on November 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The masterclass is produced by the two techno labels linked to Heart Beat, namely Harbour Recordings and Pink Room Records. This is a side event of the New French Beats Weekends during which Heart Beat will for the third time team up with the Institut Français Saigon to host nights of Paris techno, a kind of electric dance music popular in Western countries. Zadig, one of the leading names in Paris’ contemporary scene, and Heart Beat members Javier Marimon, Chris Wolter and Huy Truong will take over both the terrace and the club of the Observatory. Zadig, one of the main forces responsible for the return of the city to … [Read more...] about Heart Beat to host masterclass on production of techno

Sheherazade takes Saigon by stormBy Bradley Winterton HBSO concert’s artists in the Saigon Opera House last Friday - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - Last Friday’s HBSO concert in the Saigon Opera House was mounted in cooperation with the HCMC Union of Friendship Organization and the HCMC Vietnam – U.S. Friendship Association. It was consequently unsurprising that it featured an American conductor, a work by US composer George Gershwin, and, most strikingly perhaps, as guest concertmaster the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Texas’s concertmaster Chuong Vu. In addition to Gershwin’s Piano Concerto, however, the program included the Introduction and Allegro for Strings by English composer Edward Elgar and Sheherazade by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This was a stunning evening, and the large audience was proof of the appropriateness of the program-making. The Elgar item opened the event. It is written for a string orchestra plus string … [Read more...] about Sheherazade takes Saigon by storm