Youth orchestra spreads the love of classical music

This is the first multi-national young orchestra in Vietnam, that was established with aspirations to bring classic and attractive melodies of the world’s classical music, closer to the public.

The VYO Grand Concert was the opening for a series of community concerts, planned by the VYO to be held at public creative spaces in Hanoi, during September and early October 2022. The capital city’s audiences have the chance to enjoy classical music with three free concerts conducted by the VYO, at the Green Space at 65 Cam Hoi Street, Bac Tu Liem District’s Cultural Centre and the pedestrian space around Hoan Kiem Lake.

All venues were considered carefully in terms of sound efficiency and the openness of space for audiences, to ensure the quality and interactivity of the performances. The series is a milestone marking the maturity of the VYO’s members. Seventy-nine faces include young people aged from 12 to 22 years old. They come from many schools, work in many professions and have many different nationalities; however, they all share the same passion for classical music.

Every Sunday, no matter how busy they are, they tried to arrange their time to practice together, so that they have the opportunity to convey the beauty and positive energy of music to the community.

Talented artist Phan Do Phuc decided to return home and take on the role of the VYO's conductor, after many years of training abroad. He said he wished to make more contributions to the country’s music through creative community projects.

“VYO officially made its debut on March 2022. Six months is not a long time but I realised the connection, empathy and interference among the members that not all music groups or orchestras have”, said artist Phuc.

He also noted that “In my opinion, the core of the music is the sharing. The concert series was the result of hard work and study that the VYO wants to share with the public”, noted Phan Do Phuc. The talented conductor said the orchestra's performance was prepared carefully, bringing audiences of many ages to rich and colourful classical music performances.

In addition to works written for the whole orchestra, the VYO performed the pieces for each set of instruments. For works written for the whole orchestra, the VYO used less common instruments, such as the harp and a combination of several percussion instruments, so that the audiences feel the full timbre of a symphony orchestra.

Especially, in addition to world-famous musical works, the introduction of the pieces and instruments, combined with interesting activities to learn more about music, will be integrated into the concert, contributing to spreading and nurturing the love for classical music among the community.

Organised and operated by the Vietnam Youth Music Institute, the VYO has received strategic cooperation from the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra (VNSO), as well as the advice of experienced artists and experts, such as conductor of the VNSO Honna Tetsuji, Director of the VNSO - Meritorious Artist Trinh Tung Linh, Deputy Director of the VNSO - Meritorious Artist Kim Xuan Hieu, Meritorious Artist Dao Mai Anh and Meritorious Artist Le Hoang Lan.

The VYO's weekly practice sessions have also been guided by many artists and lecturers from the VNSO and the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Accompanying a young orchestra like the VYO is not only a way for artists to help nurture young musical talents but also a way to spread the love of classical music throughout the community, creating a favourable environment for the development of Vietnamese classical music.

Meritorious Artist Dao Mai Anh said the VYO will be a great bridge to bring classical music closer to the community, while helping people to enjoy and feel the beauty and peace of music, especially following the long period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, audiences, especially young people, will no longer feel that it is hard to listen to and feel classical music but also find special interest.

I believe that through the open meeting opportunities like community concerts, Hanoi can become one of the most attractive music cities.

Conductor Honna Tetsuji.

Conductor Honna Tetsuji expressed his belief that the spirit and lifestyle of the VYO members who have a strong attachment to the arts, will gradually be spread to their friends and relatives, contributing to marking and creating musical habits in the daily life of the community. This will be further developed through concerts in public venues. “It’s great that the distance between the performers and audiences is drawn closer, thereby the way to enjoy music is more diverse and profound”.