Meritorious Artist Bich Ngoc: Gratitude for life
(Baonghean)When meeting her, the biggest impression is her simplicity and innocence. Innocence like her clear voice that doesn't need technique, like the simplicity of a hard-working child of Quynh Luu land...
In the bright, sunny yard in front of Trinh's music cafe, Bich Ngoc confided in me about her difficult childhood. With many children, to support her hard-working mother, from a young age she had to struggle with carrying vegetables to the poor countryside market. Yet, God had endowed little Ngoc with a sensitivity to music as well as a clear voice. Back then, just by hearing a folk song on the radio, she could sing along immediately, sing it and memorize it, and she always hummed it, when working in the fields, when cooking, when carrying a basket of vegetables to the morning market.
She liked it and became passionate, until one day when there was a wedding near the market, she left her vegetable basket and went to that strange wedding to ask to sing. People often say that there are fates that determine a person's life. After the song at that wedding, among the praises and applause that seemed to never end, there was teacher Tran Duc Dung, who played the instrument. It was teacher Dung who introduced her to teacher Ho Dinh Ta, Principal of Quynh Luu 1 High School. Teacher Ta specially accepted her into the school and adopted her to support her gifted voice. And from here, the little girl Ngoc was able to stand on stage to satisfy her passion for singing. The first time she attended the National Popular Singing Festival was also the first time she won 3 major awards: Gold Medal with the song "Mien Trung nho Bac", "Best Folk Singer" Award with "Ho chao xu Nghe" and "Best Singer of Songs about Uncle Ho".
Then she joined the Art Troupe of Military Region 4, and was given special privileges to study at the Military Culture and Arts School. At this school, she was very loved by the teachers. Teacher Kim Phuc often told her: You should preserve your natural voice, you don't need to learn techniques, when you recite a lesson, just sing as you feel the melody, lyrics... During her studies at one of the cradles of musical talent training in the country, she has reaped many awards, much admiration, and received many attractive invitations to join the major art troupes of the Central, which she refused to return to the Military Region.
In the military environment, Bich Ngoc's singing voice was able to fly far and wide, reaching even the remote countryside, to the mountainous areas, and remote islands... Looking back, she felt how "rich" she was when she went to Truong Sa 4 times, once by chance met her buffalo herder friend who was now an island soldier, and was awarded the "For Beloved Truong Sa" Badge by the Ministry of National Defense! And then the lands she passed through were lovingly called "Bich Ngoc's Group" by the people! For her, the life of an artist like that was already complete.
The title of Meritorious Artist this year is a reward for her desire to contribute and her persistent efforts. She has been singing for nearly 20 years, but now she only has one dream: to release a single: Nghe Tinh Folk Songs, partly to preserve it as an asset, partly to contribute to the preservation of folk melodies of Vi and Dam...! She said, she is very grateful for this life. Life allows her to sing, gives her a happy family, and every time she retires from the spotlight, she is surrounded by obedient children, a husband who is sympathetic, understanding and sharing.
Thanh Nga