HÀ NỘI — New musical works praising Việt Nam’s sea sovereignty and achievements in building a new countryside will be premiered in a national musical festival – northern region in Hà Nội on September 26-28.

According to the organisers – the Musicians’ Association of Việt Nam (MAV), as a festival for Vietnamese musicians and music lovers, the event aim to honour and popularise new musical works and encourage creativity in composing, performing and training nationwide.

The festival will bring 43 new musical works, including 40 songs and three instrumentals, which were selected among 108 entries from 31 cities and provinces in the north by the arts board of the Musicians’ Association of Việt Nam.

This year’s topics will focus on two issues – protecting sea sovereignty and building a new countryside.

Unlike previous festivals, the works will be accompanied with live music by the orchestra of the Military University of Culture and Arts and performed by professional singers, musicians and dancers. This year’s festival will eliminate lip-synching and recorded background music.

“This year’s festival is the harmony of two both social and artistic elements. We organisers try to enhance the artistic quality and professionalism for the popular songs and at the same time, bring instrumental music closer to the public,” said music critic and vice chairwoman of MAV Nguyễn Thị Minh Châu.

“It is a special event in contemporary musical life, showing the association’s efforts in organising a more sophisticated and professional programme,” she continued.

According to musician Đỗ Hồng Quân, MAV chairman, the festival has become a traditional career exchanging activity among the associations’ 1,500 members. Since 2007, the festival has been held annually in various regions like northern mountainous area and the Central Highlands.

There have been more than 30 festivals in the past 11 years, including two international festivals that were held in 2014 and 2016, and the third Asian-European International Musical Festival will be held this November.

“The events therefore offer the output for new musical works and inform the members about others’ success and creativity,” Quân said, adding that next year’s festival would be held in the south.

Two performing nights of the national musical festival for northern region will be held at the Military University of Culture and Arts while the summerising and awarding ceremony will take place on September 28 at Kim Liên Hotel.

The top musical works will be uploaded onto the website hoinhacsi.vn for public listening. — VNS