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Vietnam's composers have a long way to go 10:36' 28/09/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge - Serious musical composition in Viet Nam is fifty
years behind the times, an American academic told a seminar at the Ho
Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music on September 26.

Professor Dirk Johan Stromberg was referring to both the techniques
employed by Vietnamese composers and the sound coordination in their
work.

Criticism aside, he said many Vietnamese composers were genuinely
talented and knew how to blend traditional elements into contemporary
music and create their own unique styles.

As evidence of this, he said the performances in the conservatory's
music exchange program presented an exciting challenge and showed the
potential of Vietnamese composers.

Another American music professor, Gary Powell Nash, told the audience of
academics, students and musicians how impressed he was with the devotion
of Vietnamese performers and composers and said he hoped to work with
the conservatory to train promising youngsters.

The theme of the seminar was "contemporary music in Vietnam and the
world"
and was held to share experiences in performing, teaching and composing
in a modern style without giving up the traditional touch.

Many of the speakers agreed that music students in other countries had
more advantages than those in Vietnam. Besides theory, they had more
opportunities to develop their creativity and join actual performances
on stage.

Still, the conservatory is on its way to integration into the world of
diverse cultures and styles of music while preserving the country's
traditional musical elements, according to the school's principal, Van
Thi Minh Huong.

It is also committed to helping students develop by organizing more
musical events to improve their skills and attract more classical music
lovers.

Moreover, classical music pieces will be performed in a fresh, modern
style with simpler content to attract a wider audience, Mr. Huong said.

The seminar, which was sponsored by Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper and the
International Media Company, is being followed by concerts over three
nights from Wednesday to Friday at the conservatory.

They are being held under the banner "Contemporary Music Exchange
between Vietnam and the World".

(Source: SGGP)