The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York next January under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji.
Self-taught South Korean piano prodigy Isadora Kim, 16, will join them at the concert sponsored by Vietnam-based NEO Design - Advertising Company Limited and organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism.
Kim Ji Eun, real name Kim Ji Eun, who lives and studies in Ho Chi Minh City, did not receive formal training since she did not exhibit any particular music talent as a child.
She learnt by downloading video clips of renowned composers and imitating them since moving to HCMC three years ago.
She was invited by the orchestra to perform at a cultural exchange symphony concert in December when she had just signed a contract with Carnegie Hall in New York.
“Kim is a talented pianist whom we hold in high esteem and we are honored to perform with her,” Tetsuji, a multiple award winner who has been the VNSO’s musical adviser and conductor since 2001, said.
The concert will feature the US and Vietnamese national anthems, G. Mahler’s Symphony no.4, a piece popular in the US since the artist had performed it at Carnegie Hall just before his death.
“VNSO and I have practiced and performed Symphony no.4 for the last four years; so, we feel very confident about our next performance,” Tetsuji added.
The proceeds from the concert will be donated to Hieu Ve Trai Tim, a charitable organization that helps underprivileged Vietnamese children with congenital heart disease.
“This event aims at using music as a medium for friendship among Vietnam, S. Korea, Japan, and the US,” Nguyen Van Tinh, head of the ministry’s International Cooperation Department, said.
