In cooperation with the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations & the Ho Chi Minh City’s Vietnam – US Friendship Association, the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) is preparing a special concert on October 28 at 8pm at the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City. Featuring contributions from American and Vietnamese composers, audiences will be thrilled to observe how the two nations are connected via symphony music.

The night begins with a piece by Trọng Đài. Born in Hanoi in 1958, he took up music from a young age and graduated from the famed Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow before teaching in Hanoi and composing original pieces. Over his career, he has composed hundreds of solo and ensemble pieces for Western instruments as well as traditional Vietnamese instruments. He has also written songs for the theatre, television and cinema, with some of his works becoming popular with wide audiences. His ability to create works that embrace patriotism and Vietnamese sensibilities led him to receive the title of Meritorious Artist in 2007 and be named the Music Director for the Voice of Vietnam.

Trọng Đài’s 6-part Symphonic Suite Bóng trăng qua thềm will begin the night. The lushly textured suite waxes and wanes with poetic undulations, showcasing the composer’s versatility and ability to tell a story without lyrics. It relies on the talented orchestra’s ability to portray the emotional journey of moonlight cast across the threshold.

The night will then travel back in time and across the sea to present a piece by American composer and pianist, Amy Beach. Born in 1867, she is considered one of the first significant female composers in the United States with her works blending Romantic and Impressionist styles and thus helping to give personality to America’s early classical music landscape. Her piece, Romance for Violin and Chamber Orchestra was written in 1893 and places complex harmonies behind an arresting violin solo that relishes in late Romanticism extravagance.

The violin solo will be performed by Chuong Vu, a performer, professor and art director who has been praised for his "exquisite playing" by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Yehudi Wyner. The Saigon Times furthers “Chuong Vu is an instrumentalist to treasure. Not only does he play with exquisite tone and superb technical virtuosity, but he also clearly loves the music and loves playing it."

Chuong Vu will also play violin for Antonin Dvorak’s Romance in F Minor for Violin & Orchestra, op. 11, B. 39. Emphasizing Vietnam and America’s shared ability to embrace and champion foreign cultures, the piece by the renowned Czech composer is rooted in Czech folklore, and helped shape the national musical identity of his homeland. His preference for earnest and expressive melodies is exemplified by the violin piece at its core.

The night will then turn to Vietnam’s rich poetic history with songs based on the works of Hồ Xuân Hương composed by PQ Phan. Born in Vietnam in 1962, he emigrated to America in 1982 and embarked on an esteemed career composing works that honor his Vietnamese heritage as merged with American culture via literature, philosophies and aesthetics. While his songs have been performed on some of the biggest stages in the world, they remain deeply rooted in Vietnam. Soprano singer Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga will have the vital task of bringing the famous poems to music so audiences can enjoy them more than 200 years after they were written.

Finally, the night will end with one of America’s most well-known 20th-century composers, George Gershwin and his crowd-favorite “An American in Paris for Orchestra.” Written to evoke the feelings of an American abroad, it's a fitting piece of symphonic music work for orchestra. to end in an evening that suggests regardless of where someone is from or where they go, music can also provide comfort.

Meritorious Artist Trần Vương Thạch will conduct all pieces for the evening. After studying at the Royal Conservatory of Liège in Belgium and the Maastricht Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands and performances across Europe he joined the Ho Chi Minh City Opera and Symphony Theater where he serves as director