HCM CITY — The Saigon Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (SPYO) debuted on Sunday in HCM City with the aim of rejuvenating symphonic music and introducing a musical genre that is not well known or easily accessed by the public.

SPYO aims to be the common voice for young people by promoting the music and culture of HCM City and delighting audiences of all ages with performances that will only improve over time.

Targeting young music lovers aged 18-25, SPYO hopes to encourage young audiences to experiment and experience different music genres and cultures.

SPYO members will be mentored by active members of the Sài Gòn Philharmonic Orchestra and conductors of regional and international repute.

Nguyễn Bảo Anh, artistic director of SPYO, said: “I think the most effective way for Vietnamese youth to easily access symphonic music is for the city to have more musical programmes for the community so that young artists can share with and inspire young folks like themselves. Our mission is to organise performances and welcome international artists and conductors to train and help young artists reach an international professional standard in performances.”

Bảo Anh said that SPYO in the future would not only perform in concert halls but also perform in open spaces such as parks and gardens so the public will have easier access to music.

“I hope SPYO will receive support from the community, get more attention, and gradually ’remove’ prejudices about a ‘hard to access’ genre of music,” he said.

SPYO’s performances in 2019 will be presented soon to area music lovers. In addition, SPYO will schedule community performing arts projects in front of the HCM City Municipal Theatre every week to communicate and spread inspiration among the public, especially young people.  

At the debut ceremony, SPYO presented the concert “Once Upon a Spring – The Very Best of Tchaikovsky” at the Saigon Opera House.

SPYO members performed with their teachers and veteran artists from the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra, under the guidance of conductor Fanting, who has been head of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for 40 years.

The concert was also an opportunity for SPYO members to play with Hungarian violinist Rodrigo Puskás. — VNS