People's Artist Quang Tho - from a miner to a famous singer

People's Artist Quang Tho is preparing to perform a live show to celebrate his 50th year of singing in November. Over half a century, his baritone voice has become increasingly resonant, thick, and strong. He is proud to be able to sing continuously about 12-15 songs in two hours. This achievement is thanks to many years of practicing and teaching at high intensity. According to him, singers need to know how to regulate sound processing, adjust breathing, and practice every day to withstand the pressure of the profession.

At the age of 70, he still maintains a youthful appearance and a resilient spirit. These days, he continuously performs in all provinces, from Quang Ninh, Hanoi to Hung Yen. Quang Tho sings to keep his passion alive and satisfy his passion. Through each performance, his love for music is sublimated by the applause of the audience. Many people are amazed when they know the artist's busy work schedule. However, he smiles and says "it's nothing". When he was young, he experienced many more hardships and difficulties.

People's Artist Quang Tho

People's Artist Quang Tho was born in 1948 in a large family in Ha Long, Quang Ninh. When he was 4 years old, his whole family moved to Cam Pha city. After finishing 8th grade (10-year system), his family advised him to quit school to go to work and help his parents raise his younger siblings. As the eldest son, he listened to his elders, put his studies on hold, and applied for a job in the Electromechanical Department of Coc Sau Coal Mine.

The years working at the Quang Ninh coal mine were the time when his singing talent took flight. He became the seed of the mining area's cultural movement. His singing voice rose high in the dark tunnels, in the middle of the night, under the rain of bombs and bullets. Many days, in the mine, his audience consisted of only two or three workers. During the days when American bombs were bombing the North, the workers were not allowed electricity, the conveyor belts stopped working, the miners still had to use hoes and shovels to mine, ensuring progress. In the dark, he stayed up all night, singing passionately, alleviating their hardships.

The mining area during the war was full of hardship and deprivation. In his mind, the memories of those days were raw but brilliant, like the coal ores of this land. "No matter where I go, I always remember Cam Pha. That is where I grew up, matured with many memories", People's Artist Quang Tho said. His genuine experiences helped him successfully perform many songs about miners, of which the most prominent is the workI am a miner.He said that in 1964, while he was performing, two enemy planes were shot down and landed on Bai Tu Long Island. On this occasion, the Vietnam Musicians Association had a field trip to Quang Ninh. Musician Pham Tuyen composed the songThe Night Stars- a poetic love song about the mining land. To this day, this is still one of the favorite songs of People's Artist Quang Tho. Sun, wind, and coal dust from the mining land tempered Quang Tho's voice and personality. From the mine, his singing flew to the battlefield.

In early 1971, while he was a level 4 worker, he quit his job, left Quang Ninh, and followed in the footsteps of the troops "cutting through Truong Son to save the country". He shouldered his backpack and joined the art troupe in the mining area. Carrying a guitar on his shoulder, he walked along the battlefield, performing for the officers and soldiers stationed in the South, Laos and Cambodia. The rain of bombs and bullets further tempered the spirit and will of the mining singer.

People's Artist Quang Tho

After 2 years of active artistic activities, he was sent to study at the Vietnam Music School (now the National Academy of Music). After graduating, he became a soloist of the Vietnam National Music and Dance Theater. With his practical experience and vocal talent, in 1987, he became a lecturer at the Vocal Department of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, and also held the position of head of the department from 2000 to 2008.

Not only did he leave his mark on the modern music scene in the country, he also affirmed his talent on many foreign stages, winning a number of international awards in Germany and Mongolia - countries with developed opera. At the age of 53, he was awarded the noble title of People's Artist by the State. His name is associated with a series of classic works such asLo River(Van Cao),Heading to Hanoi(Hoang Duong),We are proud to go up oh Vietnam(Chu Minh),Hanoi faith and hope(Phan Nhan),I am a miner(Hoang Van),Mountain Girl Song(Tran Hoan),Separation(Dzoan Man),Love song(Hoang Viet),Red leaves(Hoang Hiep)...

More than titles, what People's Artist Quang Tho is most passionate about in his artistic career is the career of "cultivating people". Teaching hundreds of students, he believes that each voice has a color. With the role of support and guidance, he always encourages each person to develop their personality. Therefore, his students are as profound as Dang Duong, "weird" as Tung Duong, and as gentle as Khanh Linh.

Since he was a student of the monochord department, Dang Duong had admired People's Artist Quang Tho. He often secretly stood outside the classroom door to listen to him teach singing. In the first years of studying vocal music, the artist directly guided Dang Duong, helping him have a good basic foundation. In the live show celebrating 20 years of singing at the end of last year, when recalling the first lessons with the teacher, Dang Duong was moved to tears on the shoulder of the People's Artist. In Tung Duong's memory, teacher Quang Tho was a strict, rigorous but emotional person. Khanh Linh remembers that when she first entered the Conservatory, the teachers were all too busy, no one accepted her as a student. While the singer was lonely and lost, teacher Quang Tho took responsibility for training her. When many people criticized Khanh Linh's thin voice, he patiently chose suitable works, helping her practice her voice to improve. Lan Anh and Tan Nhan, although not directly studying with People's Artist Quang Tho, were greatly influenced by him. Through their performances together, they learned from him the spirit of serious work, meticulousness, and dedication to art.

At the age of 70, People's Artist Quang Tho is happy because his two sons have followed their father's career. Quang Tu and Quang Tung both graduated from the Vietnam National Academy of Music, of which Quang Tu just completed his master's degree last year. He is also known as a member of the group Dong Thoi Gian. People's Artist is proud that at his age, he has only been studying vocal music for a few years, let alone having a master's degree. He does not put much emphasis on his children or students being famous because it depends on luck. "The important thing is that artists must have knowledge, a spirit of learning and a love of singing, so you can live with your career and shine," People's Artist expressed.

Ha Thu