Vietnamese conductor puts effort into music development

To some people, following a career path they have little knowledge of can sometimes lead to failure, but this was not the case for conductor Pham Hong Hai, who works as deputy director of the Viet Nam Opera and Ballet Theatre.

He started to learn the piano and accordion at the Military College of Arts and Culture at age 13 following a suggestion by his father’s friend. Graduating from the college in 1976, he studied symphony conducting at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) before receiving a scholarship to learn composition in France. At the Metz National Academy of Music, Hai also joined a choir in an attempt to integrate with his French peers and learn more of their language. One day, a fellow student was conducting the choir instead of his professor, and at that point Hai realised that choir conducting was the profession for him.

He enrolled in a class, and on his return to Viet Nam, conducted concerts held by the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra. Two programmes that stood out under his baton were a performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte (The School of Lovers) and a rendition of Kham Pha Am Nhac (Discovering Music), that introduced symphony to children across the country. He also shared the same stage with partners from other countries, including American Steven Fisher and Linda Horowitz of Germany.