HCM CITY —  The choirs representing districts 10 and 11 won the third HCM City Choir Festival that ended on Wednesday night.

The choir from District 10 performed a mash-up of the song Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Language) composed by Nguyễn Lê Tâm and Lưu Quang Vũ and the song Nối vòng tay lớn (The Great Circle of Việt Nam) by Trịnh Công Sơn.

The other choir sang Việt Nam tiếng hát trái tim ta (Việt Nam – Song from my heart) by composer Ca Lê Thuần.

The organisers also granted two prizes for best conductor to Võ Đặng Linh Đan from the District 11 choir and Huỳnh Quang Thái from the District 10 choir.

The biennial HCM City Choir Festival was first organised in 2013 by the Việt Nam Youth Federation of HCM City, the Việt Nam National Union of Students in HCM City, and the Youth Cultural House.

Begun on September 15, this year’s festival themed “Tôi yêu tổ quốc tôi” (I Love My Country) attracted 14 choirs from district youth federations and student unions.

The closing show at the city’s Opera House saw the performances of choirs from youth federations from districts 5, 9, Bình Thạnh and Tân Bình.

It featured the participation of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera with Trần Mạnh Hùng’s song Côn lôn rực rỡ (The Glory of Côn Lôn), and a mash-up of northern folk songs Bèo dạt mây trôi (Floating Water-Fern and Wandering Clouds) and Trèo lên quan dốc (Hymn to Banian). 

Phạm Hồng Sơn, secretary of the municipal committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union and chairman of the Việt Nam Youth Federation of HCM City, said at the closing show: “The festival features songs praising the country, young heroes in the revolutionary war, and Vietnamese youth during nation-building.”

“Through the event, the organisers aim to promote patriotism and national solidarity among young people, and improve their musical tastes,” Sơn added. — VNS