The first summer music festival in Vietnam

From August 2 to 9, Saigon Chamber Music 2014 activities will take place at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. The program is organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music and Transposition Programme (a Norwegian-Vietnamese cooperation organization for the development of music in Vietnam).

Saigon Chamber Music 2014 is modeled after the “Summer Music Festival” that is popular in the UK and the US. Since the beginning of the 20th century, due to concerns that students would have to take several months off during the summer without any contact with music, some teachers gathered music students into small groups. There they had fun, practiced, exchanged and discussed music together, and especially played together to feel more deeply the timbre of the instruments… That was the starting point for the formation of hundreds of summer music festivals today in the UK and the US.

Three lecturers of Saigon Chamber Music 2014: Bich Tra (left) Zoe Martlew (middle) and Atle Sponberg

Saigon Chamber Music 2014 has the participation of 19 students (aged 13 to 24) from the Hue Academy of Music, the Vietnam National Academy of Music, the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music and 1 Vietnamese student studying in Norway. The students will work with artists Bich Tra (piano), British artist Zoe Martlew (cello) and Norwegian artist Atle Sponberg (violin). During the 1 week of working together, the program is designed “to suit the style characteristics and development needs of each student”.

In addition to the study program and the masterclasses and performances with presentations, Saigon Chamber Music 2014 has 2 thematic sessions for classical music lovers to join: Listening behind the notes (3/8) and Tango music and improvisations (7/8). And especially 2 performances: Mosaic of a Century at 8pm on August 2 performed by 3 artists Bich Tra, Zoe Martlew and Atle Sponberg. The second performance at 8pm on August 8 is Young Virtuosos Concert performed by students of Saigon Chamber Music 2014.

On the morning of August 9, each student will work privately with their teacher to receive advice and direction for their future musical path.

According to TT&VH