9X guy "in love" with Nghe Tinh folk songs

(Baonghean) -Directly listening to the voice of the 21-year-old young man singing the lyrics "Summer noon, the hammock swings - mother lulls her child to sleep in the hot noon sun" of the ballad "Ten graces of parents", I myself also partly understood the "love" for folk songs "flowing" in the soul of that young man...

Le Thanh Phong grew up in an artistic environment. His parents were once outstanding artists in the army, once bringing their songs to serve the fierce Truong Son battlefield. After the war ended, his father became an artist in Military Region II, his mother was a poet and dancer in the army. In addition, his uncle Le Thanh Duc was a musician and the first teacher who directly taught Phong music theory when he was a child.



Phong's love for folk songs is partly due to his traditional bloodline. When Ho Thi Thuy (Phong's mother) was 3 months pregnant with him, she was still enthusiastically performing on stage. Le Thanh Phong laughed out loud: "It was my mother who discovered my artistic talent before I was born. Perhaps, my love for folk songs came to me from that time." Phong's mother recounted that when he was a toddler, Phong often cried. When he cried, no one could comfort him, except for the lullabies and folk songs that Phong's mother sang to comfort him. Phong stopped crying immediately, even smiling widely, his eyes looking at his mother's singing with rapt attention.

Those melodies grew up with him like a close friend, following the boy born in Trung Do ward, Vinh city. His family sent Phong to the Vietnamese-German Children's Cultural House when he was young. The young talent was very much appreciated by the teachers, and Phong was selected to participate in the Blue Bird Art Association of the Cultural House. Having been in love with his grandmother's Vi Dam melodies and his mother's folk songs since childhood, in the art programs of the Vietnamese-German Children's Cultural House, Nghe - Tinh folk melodies were always his first and only choice. That clear and soulful voice, every time it was sung, touched the hearts of those who loved traditional music.

In today's hustle and bustle life, while many young people of Phong's age favor light music and modern music, Phong is enthusiastic, single-minded but passionate about traditional music, especially Nghe - Tinh folk songs.

The relationship between folk songs and Le Thanh Phong grows stronger every day. When taking the entrance exam to Hanoi University of Culture, Phong chose Nghe Tinh folk songs to compete in the talent section. As a result, Phong was admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Culture Management. He is passionate about folk songs and at the same time wishes to become a cultural manager in the field of communication. Therefore, as a second-year student at the University of Culture, he continued to take the entrance exam to the Hue Academy of Music, majoring in Ethnomusicology. Once again, Phong's diligence and talent were recognized when he was the second-highest student of the school.

The talent of the young student from Nghe An has caught the attention of music experts. Phong's artistic path has really changed when he was invited by musician Thao Giang - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Music and Art Development Center to work there. Thanks to the experienced and dedicated hands of the teachers, Phong has been increasingly enriched in knowledge and experience.

He was lucky to be a "special" student of People's Artist Xuan Hoach, Meritorious Artist Thanh Ngoan, Artist Nguyen Quang Long... With his innate talent, along with the teaching and help of his seniors in the industry, the young man majoring in Cultural and Art Management has really taken steady steps forward. He knows how to sing Chau Van, Trong Quan and especially Xam. Through large national art performances such as the 1000th Anniversary of Thang Long, or large-scale art programs right in the capital Hanoi, Phong has always been favored by his teachers to perform with them. "Those are really very useful, important and meaningful experiences for me" - Phong confided.

When talking about Le Thanh Phong, many people in the "industry" immediately think of a 9X generation guy, with a modern style but singing Xam with a unique, vibrato voice. Phong was "intoxicated" by Xam when he heard People's Artist Hong Luu sing Xam, a folk song of Nghe - Tinh. After a period of passionate research, one day, he boldly sang Xam for musician Thao Giang and Professor - Doctor Pham Minh Khang to listen. Once again, artist Thao Giang was not disappointed with his choice. He really liked Phong's Xam singing style, and took Phong to the program "Ha Thanh 36 Pho Phuong" at Dong Xuan Xam stage (Hanoi). Performing at this stage is both an honor and a big challenge, especially singing Xam folk songs, while the capital's audience is familiar with Xam melodies of the train and market of the North through the voices of many great artists.



Le Thanh Phong participated in a Xam singing session in Hanoi.

Phong recalls: “This was the first time I appeared with a Xam tune from Nghe An. The feeling of nervousness and worry about whether I could perform well seemed to “cover” all my thoughts.” With the encouragement of teachers and artists, Phong performed the Nghe Tinh folk Xam tune successfully that evening and was enthusiastically cheered by the audience…

The echo of the young man from Nghe An's singing voice has truly touched many hearts in the capital. In 2012, Phong was honored to be invited by the Organizing Committee of the charity music night "Mother's Arms" co-organized by Tien Phong Newspaper and Van Hoa Newspaper to participate with famous people such as Meritorious Artist Tan Minh, musician Duong Cam... Phong's "nail" performance of the sentimental song "Ten Graces of Parents" between light music and youth music made the whole audience that day moved with emotion. "That was an extremely memorable moment for me" - Phong recalled.

Le Thanh Phong took the opportunity to visit his parents in Vinh for a few days. He met me for a while, then headed straight to Hanoi. That young man is a man of work and work, of tireless passion. Being a student of two universities at the same time is already an admirable thing. Currently, Phong is an editor, a program host admired by many audiences for the LifeTV online channel, the Ancient Arts section and a reporter for the Radio Stage section of VOV.

Hello, Phong still "concluded" a few sentences: "I am trying to learn and improve more about the folk culture of Nghe An. I want to contribute a little to my homeland in submitting to UNESCO to recognize Nghe An folk songs as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity", then he got in the car with a friendly smile...

Thien Thien