HOME-GROWN TALENT: The Saigon Choir was established in 2016. It works under the HCM City Music Conservatory and has attracted more than 100 members. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Choir.

HCM CITY — Seventy artists from the HCM City-based Saigon Choir will perform foreign and Vietnamese songs in a special concert to celebrate the Christmas season on December 16.

The concert called Concert Flourish will feature original scores and soundtracks from movies such as La La Land, The Sound of Music, and The Lion King.

The famous folk-rock song Hallelujah by Canadian singer and guitarist Leonard Cohen will be included.

Vietnamese hits by famous musicians, such as Trần Tiến and Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, will also be highlighted.

The event will highlight mandolin artist Nguyễn Hoàng Vĩnh Phú, pianist Nguyễn Phương Hạnh, and the 24BEAT Percussion Group.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS: The HCM City-based Saigon Choir will perform foreign and Vietnamese songs in the Concert Flourish to celebrate the Christmas season on December 16. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Choir.

The Saigon Choir was established in 2016. It works under the HCM City Music Conservatory and has attracted more than 100 members.

In 2017, the choir won the Gold Award for Mixed Chamber Choir at the Vietnam International Choir Competition 2017 in Hội An, Việt Nam.

The choir was honoured at the online World Choir Games 2021 in Flanders, Belgium.

They won and received the highest level recognition of "Excellent" from the jury for their video entitled Nắng Có Còn Xuân (Spring Sunlight) in the category Virtual choir-Video clip A Cappella

Nắng Có Còn Xuân was composed and mixed by musician and producer Đức Trí, a graduate in music composition and production from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

The music includes Vietnamese folk elements.

World Choir Games is the world's largest choir competition, known as the Olympics of choir music. The contest is held every two years and attracts hundreds of choirs around the world. As the COVID-19 virus spread, World Choir Games 2021 opened online.

“We believe our victory at World Choir Games 2021 will encourage Vietnamese choirs to develop their art and go out into the world in the future,” said the video’s producer Huỳnh Quang Thái, one of the choir’s founders.

The choir has organised six private concerts and participated in many art and music shows.

Their show, Concert Flourish, will open at 8pm at HCM City Music Conservatory’s Music Hall at 112 Nguyễn Du Street, District 1. — VNS