Cello there! Innovative, brilliant, humorous Berlin Philharmonic cellists will give free concerts at the Ha Noi Opera House and HCM City's Municipal Theatre.

Twelve cellists from the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra will be performing in Ha Noi and HCM City on the weekend.

The Berlin Philharmonic cellists became an overnight sensation in 1972 when Julius Klengel's Hymnus for 12 cellos was aired on radio.

The cellists will be performing a medley of music, ranging from classical pieces to jazz, tango and avant-garde.

"Innovative, brilliant, humorous", claims the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, which has won numerous awards such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the German Academic Competition and the International Cello Competition in Liezen, Austria.

The youngest member of the ensemble is Solene Kermarrec, the only female member.

Born in 1983 in Brest, Germany, she studied at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris and the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest.

She has won several awards, including the first prize at the 2003 Gabrielli Competition in Berlin and a special prize for best interpretation of the Solo Sonata by Kodaly at the David Popper International Competition in 2004. She became a member of the Berlin Philharmonic in 2007.

The ensemble has travelled widely and were guests at the Japanese Imperial Palace. A CD of their music released in 2001 and 2005 was awarded the Echo Klassik prize. The cellists' instruments are of Italian origin, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The performance on Saturday at the Ha Noi Opera house will be their first in Viet Nam. On Sunday they will be performing at HCM City's Municipal Theatre.

The concerts will start at 8pm. Free tickets are available at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ha Noi.

(VNS)