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Hoang Ho Thu was
among 12 students to win gold at the Asia International Piano Academy
Festival.
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A group of 18 Vietnamese piano students aged 9-24 have excelled
at the sixth Asia International Piano Academy Festival (AIPAF).
The event took place on July 20-24 at the Ewon Cultural
Institute, Cheonan, South Korea, with the participation of groups from
eight countries and territories including South Korea, Japan, Singapore,
Hong Kong and China.
The Vietnamese group, led by Prof Tran Thu Ha from the
Viet Nam National Academy of Music, won 12 gold, five silver and one
bronze medal at the competition.
During the festival, concerts were held every evening
in which participants were encouraged to take part. At the end of each
session, a competition was held with jury members comprising of AIPAF
professors.
Ha was one of 20 faculty members including professors
and pianists from South Korea, Poland, Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Russia, and Israel.
AIPAF's objective was not only to nurture each
participants' musical ability, but also to enhance cultural exchange and
understanding among pianists of different countries and cultural
backgrounds. It's hoped that the friendships formed during AIPAF will be
life-long ones, said Chang Hae-won, president of AIPAF.
"In the past, the festival has been a huge succession
in bringing together renowned pianists from all over Asia, and it has
been our privilege to have these pedagogues share their views and
opinions with us," he said.
Students had the chance to take master classes with
renowned piano professors. That helped them relax and gave them
confidence before they performed, said Hoang Ho Thu, 17. With Abegg
variations by Robert Schuman, she was one of 12 students who won gold.
"I had an opportunity to talk with other piano students
from Asian countries who are very intelligent, and learn from famous
piano professors," Thu said, "that's been the highlight of the trip."
Prof Ha agreed. "The festival's mainly aimed at
encouraging young students, the organising board created a good
condition for them to study and perform."
(VNS)