HÀ NỘI — Musicians from nine countries will celebrate the 15th European Music Festival in Hà Nội and HCM City from November 18 to December 3. 

In this 15th edition of the festival, Vietnamese audiences will once again have the opportunity to enjoy concerts by musicians from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.

"The music festival is a bridge linking people, across the board," said the European Union Delegation to Việt Nam’s First Counsellor Delphine Malard at the press conference held in Hà Nội yesterday. 

"It contributes to enhancing the reciprocal knowledge and mutual understanding among the people of the EU and Việt Nam".

This year, the renowned Hungarian violinist Katica Illenyi will be on stage opening the festival at Việt Nam National Academy of Music’s Great Hall. She will be accompanied by the Việt Nam National Symphony and Orchestra. The festival will be opened by a German and Italian Jazz Trio at the HCM City Conservatory of Music on the same day. 

Violinist Illenyi is a multi-talented Hungarian artist who plays the violin and theremin, sings and dances. She introduced the theremin to her audience in 2014, and is the only Hungarian artist currently playing the mysterious instrument in concert. The theremin is known as the untouchable instrument, as it does not need to be touched to produce a sound. 

From Belgium, duo Barbara Wiernik and Nicola Andrioli will present the Complicity album. They will also perform the Vietnamese folk song Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi (Floating Water Lily and Wandering Cloud) with Vietnamese đàn bầu artist Nguyễn Quốc Hưng.

With a total of 16 concerts in Hà Nội and HCM City audiences will be fascinated by melodious and delicate tunes of different musical genres, such as classical, jazz, indie pop, blues and rock at the festival. 

The festival will draw to a close in HCM City on December 1 with a classical concert by virtuoso Polish pianist Maciej Grzybowski, and in Hà Nội on December 3 with driving rock beats by the Grand Blanc band from France. 

The annual music festival is jointly organised by the EU to Việt Nam, the Embassies of EU member states and the European Cultural Institutes. Bringing together musical talents from the European Union, the festival aims at reaching a diverse audience with varied repertoires to celebrate the richness and diversity of European culture. 

Admission to the concerts is free of charge. Tickets can be reserved and obtained from November 15 at Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyễn Thái Học Street; L’Espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street in Hà Nội. In HCM City, they are provided at 18 Road, No 1 Cư Xá Đô Thành, Ward 4, District 3; and IDECAF, 31 Thái Văn Lung Street, District 1, HCM City. — VNS