Dozens of international and local string soloists will give four concerts during the annual Saigon International Guitar Festival in Ho Chi Minh City from October 31 to November 4.
Tamonori Arai
of Japan will perform at the
concert "The Magic of Guitar” during the Saigon
International Guitar Festival at the HCM City Conservatory of Music from
October 31 to November 4 (Photo courtesy of the organisers)
The opening concert "Italian Voices to
Chaconnes by the Masters” on October 31 will feature classical guitarist Gérard
Abiton of France, together
with guitar duo Thu Le and Lorenzo Bernardi of Italy, the Saigon Guitar Ensemble,
and the Vietnam Guitar Ensemble.
Featured compositions include those by Vivaldi, Rossini, Legnani and Bach, arranged
by Abiton, who has been a soloist with many prestigious orchestras in France, the UK,
the US and Mexico.
On November 1, there will be a "Serenade of the Festival” with guitarists Kim
Chung of Vietnam, Leon
Koudelak of the Czech Republic,
and the duoRene Izquierdo of the US
and Carlos Aonzo of Italy,
whowill play works by Schubert, Merlin and Paganini.
The festival will include a friendship concert on November 2, featuring young
guitarists from Vietnam and Japan, and the
Saigon Guitar Quartet.
In the third concert "Romance in the Night” on November 3, guitarists Salvatore
Foderà of New Zealand and
Paul Cesarczyk of the US
will perform works by Regondi,Scarlatti, and Amigo, while Cesarczyk
andIzquierdo will perform songs by The Beatles.
Foderà received a Master’s in Music Performance and a Master’s in Music
Pedagogy at the City of Basel Music Academy in Switzerland.
He began performing at many international music festivals when he was very
young.
Cesarczyk made his New York City
debut at the age of 17 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has been
performed throughout the US,
Europe, and Asia.
The final concert of the series, "The Magic of Guitar”, will be held on
November 4 and include works by Brouwer, Mangoré and Bach performed by Tamonori
Arai of Japan,
and Izquierdo.
Arai has held recitals in Germany,
Austria, France, the Czech
Republic, Belgium,
Italy, Thailand, Nepal,
and the Philippines.
He teaches at Ueno Gakuen University
and the Gendai Guitar
Academy in Japan.
Izquierdo, who has won numerous international awards, is a professor of
classical guitar at the Wisconsin State University
in Milwaukee in the US.
The festival will include master classes and guitar workshops hosted by
international and local guest performers.
The event will be held at the HCM City Conservatory of Music on 112 Nguyen Du Street
in District 1. Tickets are available atwww.ticketbox.vn.-VNS/VNA
Source: VNA
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.