HA NOI — The Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) and Southwest Chamber Music (SWC) have kicked off the Vietnamese portion of the Ascending Dragon music festival, which will feature performances in both Viet Nam and the US during its six-week duration.
The festival will showcases performances of contemporary classical music that will feature both Vietnamese and American musicians. The musicians will perform a variety of contemporary pieces along with compositions written by Vietnamese, French and American composers that will debut during the series.
The event, which is funded by the US State Department, is the largest cultural exchange project in the history of the two countries. The festival will bring 19 American artists to Viet Nam between March 2 and 24. Following the performances in Viet Nam, 19 Vietnamese musicians will travel to the US between April 14 and May 4.
The project celebrates the 1000th anniversary of Ha Noi and also marks the 15th anniversary of the normali-sation of relations between the two countries.
The music festival, which began in Pasadena last February, will have performances in Ha Noi and HCM City before going back to Los Angeles for the event's five remaining shows.
Alexandra du Bois and Kurt Rohde of the US and Vu Nhat Tan and Pham Minh Thanh of Viet Nam were selected to compose original pieces that will premiere at the Ha Noi Opera House next Friday.
"It's an honour to have my music played by Vietnamese musicians," said du Bois.
SWC will also organise workshops on arts administration, leadership and creativity throughout the next six weeks. These workshops will discuss strategies and experiences about how to attract audiences and raise funds for contemporary music.
Both the American and Vietnamese musicians that will be playing side-by-side next Friday have been rehearsing for the last week. When asked about the rehearsal, artistic director Jeff von der Schimdt said, "There's not much of a gap in terms of techniques, just differences in minds, but after six rehearsals together, they've blurred."
When asked about his composition that would debut in Ha Noi, Rohde said his piece would "not be necessarily peaceful, but reflective."
The event aims to create an opportunity for cultural exchange between Vietnamese and American artists, which hopes to increase mutual understanding and build trust as the two countries chart a new history in the 21st century. — VNS