The little pepper girl from Nghe An won first prize in the national piano competition.

(Baonghean.vn) - Surpassing many "heavyweight" competitors from provinces and cities across the country, the little pepper girl Nguyen Thanh Xuan from Nghe An excellently won first prize at the CEG Music Festival 2017 piano competition despite not having attended any professional training school.

Clip of Thanh Xuan playing the piano:

In a small room on Bui Huy Bich Street in Vinh City, the melodies of the piano resound throughout the space. The notes of the music seem to evoke the endless joy and pride of the family of Nguyen Dinh Hung (born 1981) when his daughter Nguyen Thanh Xuan (born 2011) won first prize at the CEG Music Festival 2017 piano competition held at the Vietnam National Conservatory of Music on August 6.

With her talent, Thanh Xuan completely convinced the judges with two classical piano pieces, "Minuet in F K2" by Mozart and "Arabesque-opus 100. No2" by Burgmuller. Thanh Xuan became one of the four contestants who won first prize in the four competition categories.

Thanh Xuan's father practices piano at home. Photo: Chu Thanh

Mr. Hung said that he let his daughter participate in the contest mainly to give her a chance to gain experience, and also to listen to the encouragement of musician Nguyen Cuong who took her to the contest before. He himself did not put much emphasis on the prize because Thanh Xuan was one of the youngest contestants in the contest. In addition, this was a large-scale contest while his daughter had never attended any professional training classes and only studied at home with him.

Baby Nguyen Thanh Xuan (Nghe An) in the 2017 Nghe An Open Piano Festival. Photo: Chu Thanh

Talking about his little daughter, Mr. Hung said that although she has not been through any professional training, his daughter has been exposed to music early. As a graduate of the Vietnam National Academy of Music, he understands the benefits of music even more.

When pregnant with Thanh Xuan, Mr. Hung and his wife often played piano music. Perhaps this is one of the factors that helped Thanh Xuan perceive music quickly and sensitively. Thanh Xuan has only been learning piano for the past year and a half. Every day, she practices at least 45 minutes. Although she has only studied for a short time, she absorbs very quickly. There are songs that take other people a month to master, but Thanh Xuan only needs to practice within a day. She has also won many awards in piano competitions, large and small, at all levels.

Talking about the process of teaching piano to his daughter, Mr. Hung confided: "Thanh Xuan learns piano partly because she likes it and has talent, and partly to fulfill my unfinished dream." Although he was not born with a healthy body like his peers, the passion for music still burns within Mr. Hung.

Recalling the path to pursuing his passion, Mr. Hung said that his family was poor and had no money to study for the music academy entrance exam, so he did all kinds of jobs to earn money to go to school. With his efforts, he successfully enrolled in the Vietnam National Academy of Music. However, his physical disabilities prevented him from further developing his musical path. In 2014, Mr. Hung returned to Nghe An to open a music class.

Thanh Xuan (pink dress) received first prize in the CEG Music Festival 2017 piano competition. Photo: NVCC

“For me, Thanh Xuan is a source of motivation, joy, and support. Although she is still young, Thanh Xuan is very obedient, self-aware, and understands things early, partly because her parents are no longer together,” Hung confided. Because of that, Hung cares for and loves Thanh Xuan even more. Although he cannot walk normally, he always follows his child’s footsteps on every step of the way.

Thanh Xuan played 2 pieces that brought her to the First Prize of CEG Music Festival 2017 piano:

After winning the national piano competition, Mr. Hung plans to go to Hanoi to find a piano expert for his son to study with. Of course, he will always be by his son's side to practice and guide him.

“Not only do I let my child learn piano, I also let him study other subjects such as Vietnamese, English, Math… to prepare him for first grade. The teachers of other subjects all praise him for being smart and learning quickly. So even though I want him to follow the path of becoming a professional pianist, I will respect his interests in the future,” Mr. Hung said with a smile.

Chu Thanh