Tran Vuong Thach, the conductor of the concert - Photo: Courtesy of HBSO Numerous famous films will be on display, including Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, Schindler’s List, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cinema Paradiso,and many more. The concert will be conducted by HBSO’s music director Tran Vuong Thach, and will feature the HBSO Symphony Orchestra, vocalists and instrumental soloists, plus the Saigon Ladies chorus. This is an example of the HBSO exploring popular music, and such ventures are always very popular with HCMC audiences. One of the highlights will be soprano Pham Khanh Ngoc singing the love theme from Cinema Paradiso, accompanied by Tang Thanh Nam, the HBSO’s concertmaster, on solo violin. This music was the creation of Ennio Morricone, one of the great masters of Italian film music. Immediately afterwards Pham Khanh Ngoc will sing an Abba item, “Winner Takes it All”, from the movie Mamma Mia! and Tang Thanh Nam will … [Read more...] about A night of film music to enliven the Saigon Opera House
Saigon opera house dress code
Jingle Bells set to enliven the Saigon Opera House
Conductor Petros Karpathakis - Photo: Courtesy of HBSO They will stage their annual Christmas event on December 19 in the Saigon Opera House, beginning at 8 p.m. O Holy Night and Ding Dong Merrily in High will also appear in what is a varied and appealing program. But these popular items will be augmented by many other numbers associated with the festive season. First will come a suite of music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, the ballet performed in a fully-staged version by HBSO earlier in the month. This will be followed by Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite Number 2, not particularly connected to Christmas, perhaps, but a suitable Russian complement to Tchaikovsky’s music. After a first half of purely orchestral items, the concert will continue after the intermission with a varied program that will combine religious numbers with popular Christmas melodies. Among the latter will be a version of White Christmas by … [Read more...] about Jingle Bells set to enliven the Saigon Opera House
Chorus of disapproval greets HCMC’s new opera house plan
Last week, the municipal legislature, the city’s People’s Council, had appproved a plan to build an opera house in the new urban area of Thu Thiem in District 2. The project was crucial for the city’s development and would improve the social life of local residents, Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, the council’s chairwoman, said at the meeting. Le Thanh Liem, the city’s vice chairman, said the city would raise the VND1.508 trillion ($64.61 million) needed for the project by auctioning a land lot in District 1 that had been chosen to build the symphony hall in the first place. Thu Thiem New Urban Area is under construction to become the new financial and cultural hub of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Quynh Tran The opera house in Thu Thiem would take four years to build, and when it was completed in 2022, it would seat 1,700 people in two halls. Liem highlighted the importance of the project, saying: “HCMC is a modern, civilized city, a hub for economic, … [Read more...] about Chorus of disapproval greets HCMC’s new opera house plan
Jazz quartet to stage concert at Saigon Opera House
Jazz quartet to stage concert at Saigon Opera HouseThe Saigon Times Daily Steve Houben is a piece of the jazz quartet that will perform at the Saigon Opera House on September 28 - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - A concert of a jazz quartet comprising Steve Houben (saxophone and flute), Grégory Houben (trompette and vocal), Jean-Louis Rassinfosse (contrabass), and Quentin Liégeois (guitar) will take place at the Saigon Opera House on September 28, starting at 8 p.m. The quartet is an encounter on stage between father and son (Steve Houben and Grégory Houben), bound together by the same culture, the same love for music and tenderness. Steve Houben has performed with legends like Chet Baker, Mike Stern, George Coleman, Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry, Joe Eardley, and Joe Newman. His music ability, improvising talent, and relentless creativity make him a widely known artist in the world and an icon of Belgian jazz music. Grégory Houben is a talented … [Read more...] about Jazz quartet to stage concert at Saigon Opera House
Vietnamese and South Korean dancers to perform at Saigon Opera House
Vietnamese and South Korean dancers to perform at Saigon Opera House By Minh Tuan Dancers are seen a practice session for the “120 We Are Approaching” show - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER HCMC - Contemporary dance show “120 We Are Approaching” featuring Vietnamese and South Korean dancers will take place at the Saigon Opera House on September 24, starting at 8 p.m. The show is a joint effort between South Korea’s Daegu City Dance Company (DCDC) and HCMC-based Arabesque. According to professional dancer and choreographer Nguyen Tan Loc from Arabesque, dancers from the two countries have practiced together for a couple of months to ensure perfect harmony, smoothness and fluency. “We create the show to promote cultural exchange between South Korea and Vietnam through contemporary dances and bring them closer to Vietnamese audiences,” said award-winning choreographer Kim Sungyong, art director of DCDC. “We choose the number 120 … [Read more...] about Vietnamese and South Korean dancers to perform at Saigon Opera House