HÀ NỘI — A festival showcasing traditional ca trù (ceremonial singing) artists will be held at Văn Miếu Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature) on November 11 to 13 in honour of Cultural Heritage Day (November 23). 

Ca trù was officially recorgnised by UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage in need of preservation in 2009. It is one of the most uniquely Vietnamese genres of folk music in the Vietnamese treasury of traditional music.

About 30 artists from 10 ca trù clubs in Hà Nội including the newly-established Phú Thị Club, will perform at the festival.

Of the clubs appearing at the venue, Phú Thị Club won top prize at the 2014 National Ca Trù Festival and the Thăng Long and Chanh Thôn will perform 11 times during the event - the highest number at the festival. 

This is the third time the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports has hosted a ca trù festival.

"The festival organisers want to encourage and honour ca trù artists who are preserving and developing this traditional art,” the department’s deputy head Trương Minh Tiến said at the November 3 press conference.

“We also hope to discover more young talent at the festival where ca trù artisans share their performing experiences. This is one of the activities showing the commitment of the Vietnamese government to continue to submit ca trù for consideration as a UNESCO-recognised world intangible cultural heritage."

"Despite being recognised as a world non-intangible cultural heritage, there are still many difficulties in drawing audiences to ca trù and in preserving and developing ca trù," said Tiến.

Ca trù artists aged 6 to 30 will perform for 20 minutes each, demonstrating their talent to a jury including Professor Tô Ngọc Thanh, musician Đặng Hoành Loan, music researcher Bùi Trọng Hiền, and Meritorious Artist Phạm Văn Khuê.

The artists will be divided into two age groups: 6-15  and 16-30 years old. The jury will award two first prizes, A prizes, four B prizes, and eight certificates at the end of the festival.

Ca trù appeared in the 11th century but it was not officially recorgnised as a form of entertainment for the royal court until the 13th century during the Lý Dynasty. — VNS