Thai artists perform at the festival. Photo VNA/VNS

HCM CITY – The 2026 HCM City International Traditional Music Festival, themed “Melodies of the East”, opened at the HCM City Conservatory of Music on October 21, bringing together more than 70 artists from Việt Nam, Thailand, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

Returning for the first time since its inaugural edition in 2018, the festival provides a platform for cultural exchange and showcases the traditional music of participating countries.

People's Artist and Dr Đỗ Quốc Hưng, Director of the conservatory, said traditional music embodies the history, soul and cultural identity of each community. Preserving it requires not only safeguarding heritage but also encouraging younger generations to practise and carry it forward through creative approaches suited to contemporary life.

Võ Ngọc Diệu Tịnh, a member of the organising committee, said the festival aims to bring Vietnamese traditional music closer to the public and promote exchanges with other countries, particularly neighbouring Asian nations.

Besides concerts, the festival features thematic talks on the traditional music of Việt Nam, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, connecting research with practice and engaging young audiences.

The opening programme featured Giao Mùa (seasonal transition), a composition by lecturer Bùi Thiên Hoàng Quân, performed by the conservatory’s Traditional Music Faculty Orchestra, followed by performances by Thai artists and a Filipino ensemble.

The Republic of Korea’s Deobureo Sup arts troupe, comprising 34 young artists, will perform traditional Korean music and join the conservatory’s orchestra in presenting Phong Nang, a composition by Trần Đình Lăng.

The festival seeks to preserve and promote musical heritage, strengthen friendship and exchanges among Asian countries, and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the HCM City Conservatory of Music (1956–2026). — VNA/VNS