14-year-old Vietnamese girl wins two world piano awards.

In less than a month, Mai Nguyet Minh has won two prestigious awards at two world-renowned piano competitions.

Mai Nguyet Minh, a first-year student in the 9th grade intermediate program at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, has just won two prestigious awards at two of the world's largest piano competitions in less than a month.

Mai Nguyệt Minh is considered one of the most promising piano artists today.

The 7th International Piano Competitions, held in early June in Milan, Italy, is a prestigious annual competition that brought together over 200 contestants from countries such as Italy, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Spain, Germany, and Japan. The contestants were divided into three categories: KIDS (5-10 years old), YOUNG (11-16 years old), and SENIOR (17-28 years old), with each category further divided into age groups. Mai Nguyet Minh won second prize in category B, age group 14-16 (Minh was the youngest contestant in her age group).

Shortly afterwards, at the 20th Val Tidone International Competitions held from June 8-18, 2017 in Piacenza, Italy, Nguyet Minh excelled again, achieving 99/100 points and winning first prize. She was also invited to perform at the Winner Concert on June 18, 2017 at the Piacenza Grand Theatre.

Unlike the International Piano Competitions, Nguyet Minh belongs to category B (13-17 years old) and is not divided into smaller age groups, making her one of the youngest contestants in category B. The competition attracted 250 contestants from countries such as the USA, Italy, Russia, Bosnia, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Japan, and Thailand.

A performance by Mai Nguyet Minh.

After winning the award, Nguyet Minh shared about her love for the piano: “I started learning piano when I was 5 years old and was taught from the very first notes by artist and Master Pham Quynh Trang (daughter of People's Artist Quy Duong). Although my parents knew I showed a passion for piano early on, they decided not to let me pursue a professional music career because no one in the family is involved in the arts, and they worried that learning classical piano would be very difficult. In 2016, when I was about to enter 8th grade, my parents asked about my future career aspirations. I replied that I wanted to become a piano teacher like Ms. Quynh Trang, so this year they allowed me to take the entrance exam for the Conservatory.”

With her strong love for music, hard work, effort, and passion, Nguyet Minh truly convinced her parents. In September 2016, Nguyet Minh officially became a first-year student in the Intermediate Piano program at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, at an age when she should have been in her fifth year of the intermediate program.

Under the guidance and inspiration of artist Pham Quynh Trang, in October 2016, Nguyet Minh participated in the first Ginastera International Music Competition in Thailand and won first prize. This award served as confirmation of Nguyet Minh's choice to pursue a professional music career.

The young female artist received an award at the World Piano Competition.

“At the International Piano Competitions, Nguyet Minh played J. Haydn's Sonata in E minor. This classical piece demands strict rhythm but still allows for the subtle softness of the melody. At the Val Tidone International Competitions, Nguyet Minh played two pieces. The first was F. Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor. This romantic piece requires a high degree of sensitivity and finesse from the pianist to convey its soul; the second was M. Glinka's The Lark, a piece imbued with the soul of Russian music, like birds fluttering in the wind. This piece demands high technical skill to express its musical imagery. Nguyet Minh performed all these classical pieces excellently and won awards. I am very proud and confident in Nguyet Minh's musical future,” shared artist Quynh Trang.

According to VOV