HÀ NỘI — Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji and the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) will present an outdoor performance at AEON Mall Long Biên, Hà Nội on January 12.

The event is part of Acecook Happiness Concert, organised annually since 2016, with the aim of bringing classical music to more people.

This year, the Happiness Concert will feature Ngô Phương Vi, a talented pianist who has won many domestic and international prizes.

The 20-year-old said she’s happy to perform music for free in public. “It’s a good way to bring chamber music to many people,” Vi said.

“For me, this is an honour because I have the chance to perform with the VNSO. We will perform for many people outdoors, and it is special because it’s for charity,” she said.

Vi started learning the piano at the age of six. She soon realised she had a natural gift for music. She received many scholarships from music academies at home and abroad. She has studied in the US, Austria, Canada and Germany. She is the only Vietnamese student to receive a full scholarship to study at the Jacobs School of Music, at Indiana University in the US.

“I will perform a Piano Concerto by Tchaikovsky. This piece is very happy and joyful,” she said.        

Other pieces include Farandole from L’Arlesienne by Georges Bizet; Jazz Pizzicato, Blue Tango, Belle of the Ball and Waltzing Cat by Leroy Anderson; and Symphony No 9 from The New World by Antonin Dvorak.

The artists will perform Vietnamese folk songs as an encore.

As well as the free concert, the artists will stage two performances on January 15 and 18 at Hà Nội Opera House and HCM City Opera House, respectively.

They will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, Farandole and Bolero by Maurice Ravel.

A ‘conducting corner’ arranged at the concerts will give audience members a chance to try to be a conductor with Carmen Suite.

Kajiwara Junichi, director of Acecook Việt Nam Company, said the company co-operated with the VNSO because they shared the same desire to spread happiness through music.

“We are putting on the concert at a shopping centre because it’s very crowded at the weekend, so many people, including children and the elderly, will have the chance to appreciate classical music,” he said.

“Families will enjoy music and relax together after shopping.”

The Acecook Happiness Concert was organised for the first time in 2016. Last year, the concert included a performance by Japanese violinist Tamaki Kawakubo.

Tickets are now on sale at the Hà Nội Opera House and HCM City Opera House. All proceeds from the concerts will be used to support poor students and develop cultural and art projects for the community. — VNS