Artist Dang Thai Son will receive his pension from 2023 and will soon bring his 3 favorite students to perform in Vietnam.

Artist Dang Thai Son shared at the press conference of the music night series on the afternoon of May 22 in Hanoi - Photo: DAU DUNG

The Timeless Resonance series opened with artist Dang Thai Son's first live concert in his homeland - by Produced by Thanh Viet Production - taking place on June 2 at Hanoi Opera House and June 3 at Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music.

The program is part of the world tour of Dang Thai Son and his students, Vietnam is the first location on this tour.

Dang Thai Son has received his pension since last year.

During a press conference late on May 22 in Hanoi, Dang Thai Son said that since last year he has begun receiving a pension from the Canadian Government and the University of Montreal - where he has taught for the past several decades.

"Honestly, I haven't thought about retiring yet," "I didn't think I'd be 65 already," the artist joked.

In Canada, seniors get free public transportation. "It didn't cost me a dime, which is funny," he said.

Dang Thai Son said he spent 18 years studying (11 years in junior high school, 5 years in college, 2 years in graduate school).

He quipped that investing in music is a form of "dangerous investment" but compared to other professions with short career spans, in his field, if you "make it in the profession" you will "earn a lot". The word "a lot" he mentioned refers to a profession that does not have a clear retirement age.

There are people who are 90, 100 years old who still perform or teach music. He hopes to be like his mother Lien (People's Teacher Thai Thi Lien).

At the age of 65, artist Dang Thai Son "just hopes to continue living like this, as long as he doesn't have to go to the hospital too much". According to him, spirit greatly determines health.

Teacher Dang Thai Son

Artist Dang Thai Son said that although he has started receiving his pension, it seems like he has "more work". In addition to performing and judging for several international piano competitions, "I don't know why in recent years there has been talk of babysitting (a humorous way of referring to teaching)".

In addition to Montreal, he accepted teaching positions at two large conservatories in the United States: Oberlin Conservatory (Ohio) and New England Conservatory (Boston).

The artist currently has a total of about 30 students.

He said his teaching work began to increase when his students achieved very high rankings at major competitions around the world.

Notably in 2021, his student, Bruce Liu, won first prize at the Chopin concours competition, which he had won more than 40 years ago.

This is something that has never happened in the history of this competition as well as major piano concours in the world.

"That has historical significance for me personally. Not by choice but as fate, much happiness," the 65-year-old artist shared.

He said that some of his students were not outstanding but were hard-working, and if they made mistakes, he was very gentle. There were many talented people but they were unacceptably lazy. Sometimes he had to get angry because he couldn't stand it.

Dang Thai Son chose the soft way to manipulate and the hard way to let go. He valued sincerity, insincerity and deceit were the number one enemy.

"Because I don't have a family, I consider them as my own children and grandchildren. Teaching is tiring, but when I see them reap the rewards, I feel happy, more nutritious than ginseng," the artist joked.

According to Dang Thai Son, in art, the artist's personality is very important. He must rely on each student's personality, understand their strengths and weaknesses to have a separate "curriculum" for each student.

Dang Thai Son brings three favorite students back to Vietnam to perform

In this live concert, Dang Thai Son will bring three of his favorite students back to Vietnam to perform.

Among them, Sophia Shuya Liu is considered a child prodigy by Dang Thai Son. She was born in 2008 and has won many prestigious awards, including first prize at the Kobe Piano Competition in Japan, first prize at the International Chopin Competition in Hartflord (USA), first prize at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition 2023...

Three students of People's Artist Dang Thai Son and their teacher will return to Vietnam to perform in early June - Photo: Organizing Committee

Kai-Min Chang was born in 2001 and is strong in "large-scale" music. He won first prize at the Ljubljana International Piano Competition, first prize at the Slovenian International Piano Competition, and was a quarter-finalist at the 2021 Chopin International Competition in Poland.

Zitong Wang, born in 1999, was commented by teacher Dang Thai Son as an artist with "naturally magical" fingers, "natural" and "easily glides on the piano keys".

She won first prize at the Bach - Rosalyn Tureck International Competition and the Virginia Waring Concerto International Competition... Most recently, Zitong won first prize and the "Nelson Freire Prize" for the best performance of Frederick Chopin's music at the XXXIII Ferrol International Piano Competition in 2022.

The four masters and students will open the curtain for the Timeles Resonance series, playing works from classical, romantic to modern.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nghe-si-dang-thai-son-nhan-luong-huu-tu-nam-2023-sap-mang-3-tro-cung-ve-dien-o-viet-nam-20240522214227477.htm