KAZAKHSTAN—Vietnamese violinist Hoàng Hồ Khánh Vân, 26, recently won the first prize at the 10th International Violin Competition held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The competition attracted nearly 50 participants from many countries including Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland, Spain, Czechoslovakia, China, and Việt Nam.

Vân is now a lecturer of violin at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) after excellently completed a Masters of Music course from the Liszt Academy, Hungary.

Professor Zakhar Bron presents the first prize certificate for Khánh Vân. Photos courtesy of Khánh Vân's family

Vân was an excellent student of violinist lecturer Dr Bùi Công Duy who is also Việt Nam’s People’s Artist and Honorary Professor of the Kazakhstan Academy of Music.

Duy, deputy director of VNAM and Việt kiều artist Dr Chương Vũ from the US, were invited as judges at the competition along with prestigious international artists such as Aiman Mussakhajayeva, who was head of the jury board, Zakhar Bron.

Duy and Vũ were invited to play at a special gala performed by judges to commemorate violin genius David Oistrakh at the Astana Opera Theatre. The two artists performed the Vietnamese concerto Four Seasons written for violin by composer Đặng Hồng Anh. The programme was televised for broadcast by Kazakhstan Television.

In addition, Duy was also invited to play solo with the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra under US conductor Christopher Zimmerman.

Vân (first left) poses for a photo with her teacher Dr Bùi Công Duy (first right), and head of the competition's jury board Aiman Mussakhajayeva (in pink dress), and other prize winners.

Born in Belarus, Vân and her pianist sister Hoàng Hồ Thu, at the age of four and six started studying violin and piano respectively at the Minsk Academy of Music.

Vân has won a number of prizes at the Minsk Academy of Music such as the first and second prizes at the National Competition of Violin in Belarus at the age of six and eight.

In 2005, Vân’s family returned to Việt Nam. She studied at the VNAM and was granted a scholarship for a masters course at the Liszt Academy.

In 2009 she won the first prize at the ASEAN International Concerto Competition in Jakarta, Indonesia.

She was a member of the Young Asian Orchestra during 2014-2015. Vân and her sister Thu won the first prize at a competition in Debrecen, Hungary in 2018 and later the same year, Vân received a scholarship to join the International Summer Academy in Austria.

In 2019, she was invited to play solo with the Liszt Chamber of Music and won the third prize at the Việt Nam International Music Competition for Violin and Chamber Music.

Since 2022 she has joined many solo and joint performances, including those with her sister to popularise classical music among Vietnamese people.

Vionist Vân plays with the Kazakhstan State Symphony Orchestra.

Vân said she also wanted to play Vietnamese music folk songs because it was not only a national pride but also an advantage over other candidates.

Professional violinist Lorenz Gamma said “Vân boasts a very good feeling of a music work with systematic way in performing. The most important thing is that she has an independent spirit in dealing with her performing work.”

Her teacher Duy remarked, “ Vân is a talented student with very high determination.” VNS