HCM CITY — More than 20 Vietnamese and foreign classical musicians will perform at the Vietnam Connection Music Festival 2018 at the HCM City Opera House this weekend.

The festival was first organised in 2015 by Vietnamese-American violinist Vũ Việt Chương and violinist Bùi Công Duy.

This year’s event will open with American violinist Stephanie Chase in the “Stephanie Chase and Friends” concert at 8pm on August 18.

Chase, who has appeared with over 170 orchestras, will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

She will later play Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor with Duy, and then Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor with soloists Zhan Shu, Hoàng Linh Chi and Chương.

Quatuor Arod, an all-male string quartet from France, will give a concert at 4pm on August 19.

The quartet will perform Haydn’s String Quartet, Op 74, No 3, The Rider, Benjamin Attahir’s Al’ Asr, and Schumann’s String Quartet No 1.

Established in 2013, Quatuor Arod includes Jordan Victoria and Alexandre Vu (violins), Tanguy Parisot (viola) and Samy Rachid (cello).

Musical star: American violinist Stephanie Chase will perform in the “Stephanie Chase and Friends” concert at the HCM City Opera House on August 18 as part of the Vietnam Connection Music Festival in 2018. Photo courtesy of HBSO

The quartet won several top prizes at international chamber music competitions in Europe and has been invited to perform at numerous festivals in France, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and Japan.

At 8pm on the same day, the Gala Concert will feature violinists Duy and Chase, and Canadian violinist Christina Bouey, who will act as the evening’s concertmaster.

The concert will include Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins and Two Cellos, Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto, and Giovanni Bottesini’s Grand Duo Concerto for Violin and Double Bass.

Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and String Orchestra and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon will be featured.

Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, director of the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra, will lead the night.

Along with these musicians, the festival will also feature foreign guests such as Katie Wikesberg (violin), Michael Sinicropi (trumpet), John Scott (clarinet) and Elliot Figg (harpsichord), along with the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

The Opera House is located at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and at www.ticketbox.vn. — VNS