HA NOI (VNS)  — A special concert gathering singers and artists from six countries and territories in North East Asia will raise its curtain on December 26 and 27 at the Ha Noi Opera House.

The artists performing at the concert include soprano Ha Pham Thang Long from Viet Nam, alto Soo Yun-chung from South Korea, tenor Claude Lin from Taiwan and bass Zhong Hao from China.

Under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the artists, accompanied by the musicians of the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra, will present the masterpiece Symphony No.9 by great composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet Choir, the Ha Noi Freude Choir and Ashikaga City Philharmonic Chorus from Tochigi Prefecture in Japan will also perform at the concert.

Intended to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday in 2020, the concert is part of a cultural exchange programme between countries and territories in the region, including Viet Nam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan and mainland China.

It is scheduled to perform from 2013 to 2020 with Viet Nam as the first destination to kick off the programme.

Alto singer Han Okhee from North Korea has also been invited to join the concert but will be absent due to health problem.

Titled Beethoven 9th, the concert will start at 8pm at the Ha Noi Opera. . — VNS