Acclaimed violinist set to add cheer to festive season

Leading Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy will play several famous Christmas tunes to get Hanoi in the festive spirit at the monthly music programme Music Space later this month.

Leading Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy

Duy was honoured with the Most Talented Violinist award at the Concours Autumn 1990, a national contest which aims to recognise outstanding young Vietnamese musicians, when he was only nine years old.

Duy has sharpened his talent by winning other awards on the international stage, including first prize at the Demidov International Music Contest in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 1993, and the award for the best performance of J S Bach, for which he was given the title "Asian Pride" that same year.

He then won the Tchaikovsky International Music Contest for young violinists in Saint Petersburg in 1997.

He has also performed with famous chamber orchestras such as the Novosibirsk Philharmonic orchestra, the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Kapella Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Festival Orchestra in many countries such as Italy , Japan , German, Poland , England , Russia and France.

For the Music Space programme, Duy, who currently lectures at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, will perform Silent Night, Joy to the World, and White Christmas.

Songstress Nguyen Thao will once again aim to conquer Music Space's audiences with her passionate and energetic voice after her first performance in May.

Thao will perform the song Tieng Chuong Ngan (Echo of the Ringing Bell) by composer Bao Chan for the first time along with a few songs from her upcoming album which is expected to be released at the beginning of next year.

Young Vietnamese-Canadian singer Hoa Tran is among the other artists scheduled to perform at the show. With Vietnamese, English and French language abilities, Hoa will feature famous French songs as well as several Vietnamese-English pieces by Vietnamese-American composer Nguyen Xinh Xo, whose song Dong Ho Treo Tuong (Wall Clock) won the Song of the Year title at the Vietnamese Song contest last year.

Music Space will take place at the Nguy Nhu Kon Tum auditorium, 19 Le Thanh Tong Street at 7.30pm, December 24-25. Tickets cost from 1 million VND to 2 million VND (50-100 USD) and are available at www.khonggianamnhac.com.

www.dtinews.vn