Olympic Closing Ceremony conductor Zahia Ziouani will perform in Hà Nội and HCM City. — Photo artexplora.org

HÀ NỘI — French guest conductor Zahia Ziouani is set to perform in Hà Nội and HCM City with two leading orchestras, the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) and the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

In Hà Nội, the VNSO concert will take place on April 11 at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music’s Great Hall, featuring Symphony 92 by Joseph Haydn, Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite and Georges Bizet’s Carmen Suites 1 and 2.

On April 19, Ziouani will conduct the HBSO in a repertoire comprising the Vietnamese work Symphonic poem 2 by Trần Mạnh Hùng, alongside Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto and Boléro, and Debussy’s La Mer at the HCM City Municipal Theatre. 

The tour marks a significant artistic exchange between a prominent figure in the music scene in France and Việt Nam’s leading musical institutions, according to the French Institute of Hà Nội. 

A series of conducting masterclasses led by Ziouani in collaboration with the VNSO and HBSO will offer insights drawn from her professional experience. 

She will also take part in public discussions after screenings of Divertimento in both cities, first on April 8 at Hà Nội's Lycée Français Alexandre Yersin, and then on April 15 at HCM City's Lycée Marguerite Duras. 

The event will foster conversations around music, artistic journeys and the role of women in orchestral conducting.

Based in Paris, Ziouani is a Franco-Algerian conductor who founded the Divertimento Symphony Orchestra in 1998. She enjoys conducting a wide variety of repertoires, from the Baroque period to contemporary works.

In 2024, after carrying the Olympic Flame, she conducted Divertimento at the Stade de France during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. 

As part of the Paralympic Games and the launch of the Philharmonie de Paris 2024-2025 season, Ziouani presented the multidisciplinary show Les Nouveaux Mondes, created by Divertimento and Compagnie Käfig. This production was acclaimed by critics and met with great public success. — VNS