Time to cry: Two foreign singers Richard Fuller (top) and Lee Kirby will perform concerts to commemorate late composer Trinh Cong Son's birthday. — File Photos

HCM CITY — Foreign singers will join Vietnamese artists in music shows commemorating late composer Trinh Cong Son's 73rd birthday.

Richard Fuller and Kyo York from the US and Lee Kirby from the UK are already well-known to Vietnamese audiences, and are lovers of Son's music.

Trinh Cong Son (1939-2001) was considered one of the greatest Vietnamese composers and his music has been featured widely in films.

Most of his compositions revolve around the theme of love, and he is also known as an amateur painter.

Kirby said he cried when listening to Diem Xua (A Beautiful Girl of Old Days).

"Listening to Son's music opened in me a door to Vietnamese culture," he said, "I can travel to many places in Viet Nam with a guitar to sing Son's songs with Vietnamese people."

York has always surprised audience thanks to his Vietnamese language and an ability to sing Son's songs with skill.

He often performs at coffee houses as a professional singer, showing a deep love for Son's music.

Fuller's love for Son's music and Viet Nam hase even propelled him to adopt a Vietnamese name, Tran Phong Phu, and he calls himself "an American who loves Trinh Cong Son's music".

He also translates Son's songs into English, giving audiences abroad a chance to understand the master composer's works, and often performs in France and the UK.

Joining the performance will be singer Anh Tuyet, guitarist Hoang Minh, saxophonist Quang Khai and pianist Nguyen Anh.

The acoustic shows will be organised every evening from tomorrow to Thursday at ATB Coffee House, 197 Nguyen Van Troi Street, HCM City. — VNS