HÀ NỘI — Internationally renowned German jazz singer Michael Schiefel will unite musicians from Europe and Việt Nam in a gala concert in Hà Nội next week.

The concert is to kick off the 2016 Europe Days, a journey through the European cultural scene with a series of diverse activities.

Schiefel can be found at concerts and festivals all over the world. On stage, Schiefel experiments with his versatile voice and electronic loop stations. Aside from his solo performances, he works with other musicians, creating his own style that ranges from funk, pop and modern jazz to Balkan jazz.

Concerts are set to take place on May 9 and 10 at the Hà Nội Opera House.

Schiefel will be accompanied by Italian percussionist Davide Pasqualini, Polish jazz guitarist Gabriel Niedziela, and German cellist Jörg Brinkmann. Along with Vietnamese saxophonist Nguyễn Bảo Long and pianist Nguyễn Hữu Vượng of the ensemble JumpforJazz, Europe and Việt Nam will merge their jazz rhythms.

After Hà Nội, Europe Meets Asia in Jazz will also be presented in HCM City on May 11 at the Opera House, 1 Lam Sõn Square.

Europe Days will also include the staging of the world famous opera Magic Flute in its original language for the first time in HCM City. The opera, which premiered in Vienna in 1791, is one of the most well-known in the world.

It will be directed by German stage director David Hermann and conducted by Trần Nhật Minh, who earned a degree in conducting from the National Conservatory of Magnitogorsk, the National Tschaikowski Conservatory in Moscow and the Academy of Conductors of Milan.

The classical opera will be presented at HCM City’s Opera House on May 7 and 8. Tickets are already available at the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera office (Opera House) and on ticketbox.vn, or by calling (08) 38237419.

As in previous years, the annual European Film Festival this year promises to delight Vietnamese spectators with 13 films. Ranging from drama and comedy to thriller, the movies reflect the dreams, passion, fears and frustration of Europeans.

The festival will start in Hà Nội on May 13, in Ðà Nẵng on May 14, and in HCM City on May 15.

The diversity of European cultural traditions will manifest itself in the European Literature event in Hà Nội and for the first time in HCM City, organised by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and the EU Delegation.

At the events, Vietnamese readers will have chances to enjoy new books from Belgium (Wallonie-Brussels), France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK. In addition to the presentation of the books, there will be other opportunities for readers to meet authors, listen to talks and readings, or register for workshops on creative writing. 

The annual European Food Festival will come back on May 14, offering authentic European cuisine, cooking demonstrations by chefs from leading European hotels and restaurants in Hà Nội.

In addition, a high-level seminar titled Vietnam-EU Co-operation: Sharing Experiences Facing Common Challenges in Green Growth and Sustainable Development will be held by the EU Delegation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to highlight the role and position of the EU in the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with Việt Nam, to review the current trends of their relationship and analyse emerging EU issues of relevance for Việt Nam.

Two other events in the programme are ASEAN-EU Science, Technology and Innovation Days and TEDx Innovations from Europe and Vietnam.

"May 9 is ‘Europe Day’, a special day on which we celebrate the political integration of our European continent," Ambassador Bruno Angelet, the EU Delegation’s leader, said. "This day is also an opportunity for all of us to commemorate past achievements, but also to look ahead at how we can shape our European future together and inspire partnerships we forge beyond the borders of Europe." — VNS