The First Ha Noi International Piano Competition with 63 participants from South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada, Russia, Taiwan and host-country, Viet Nam, ended on Sunday. The event was organised by the Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM). Director of VNAM Ngo Van Thanh discusses the event with Culture Vulture.
This is the first time Viet Nam launched an international piano competition. Was it a success?
The First Ha Noi International Piano Competition was created to mark Polish composer Frederik Chopin's 200th birthday and one of the events to celebrate the capital Ha Noi's 1,000th birthday. It was a festival for pianists and piano lovers. This was an opportunity for the VNAM to host a music event that met international standards. It was also a chance for talented pianists to shine, and for Vietnamese music academics to meet international people in the profession.
It's great we were supported strongly by the international community. The event was successful for two reasons. First, we had qualified piano teachers who did a great job organising the event. Second, is the increased role of the private sector in the development of the arts in Viet Nam.
The event was sponsored by individuals and organisations like Techcombank, Vietnam Airlines and many overseas Vietnamese.
The competition was launched 30 years after Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son became the first Asian to win the prestigious International Frederik Chopin Piano Competition in Poland in 1980. How can Vietnamese artists win more prizes at the international competition in the coming years?
The competition itself aims to improve Vietnamese classical music teaching and performance skills. During the years, we have had many talents like accordionist Nguyen Quynh Trang who won the Hong Kong Competition for Young Asian Musicians in 2001 or soprano Bich Thuy, the first prize winner in the International Opera Contest in Thailand in 2008.
Pianists include Luu Hong Quang, who won a special prize at the Asia Chopin International Piano Competition in Tokyo in 2006 and a second prize at the Valtidone International Piano Competition in Italy in 2008, Do Hoang Linh Chi, who won the first prize for his piano performance at the 3rd ASEAN International Concerto Competition in Indonesia in 2009, and Luu Duc Anh, who won the first prize at the piano competition known as "Classical Sonata" held in Sydney, Australia in 2009.
International competitions are good opportunities for artists and teachers to study and stay up-to-date with the international music standards.
Is it true that Vietnamese music teachers are highly appreciated by the international community?
We have a powerful set of young talents who have been trained in a strong music environment. Many countries in the region wish they had a training institution like the Viet Nam Academy of Music, which boasts a generation of teachers who were trained in Russia before creating a professional training curriculum.
Some regional countries lack intermediate level training. In contrast, Viet Nam seeks and encourages potential talents from a very early age and trains them over a long period time.
The Government has supplied about 80 pianos to the academy, worth hundreds of billions of dong.
With more than 270 piano students and many international prizes, would you say the piano is a particular strength for Vietnamese musicians?
Piano has always drawn the most students because the piano is regarded as one of the most prestigious musical instrument, and that is true in many countries. Thus, the piano is certainly popular in Viet Nam.
At present, drawing foreign talents, both teachers and students, is currently a trend in the region. Is Viet Nam following this trend?
Actually, Singapore and Thailand now have Western teachers and even invite international managers. It is a fast-growing trend and it draws many foreign talents. There are many Vietnamese, Chinese, Thais and Indonesians who now train in Singapore.
In addition, Russian-trained Vietnamese teachers are always updating modern music knowledge. — VNS