Artist Phan Xuan Tri and his 10-year journey of "cultivating" classical guitar art in Da Nang

Last night (December 27), the first International Guitar Festival held in Da Nang officially opened. This prestigious music event is the result of the hard work and dedication of Guitarist Phan Xuan Tri in his 10-year journey of persistently building the Classical Guitar movement in Da Nang.

The first international Guitar Festival held in Da Nang

Held for the first time on a large scale in Da Nang, the International Guitar Festival was opened by the young members of the Dream Oasis Guitar Ensemble. With the performance El Gato Montes (meaning The Stray Cat). This is a pasodoble melody, taken from the 3-act opera by Manuel Panella (Spain).

Nghệ sĩ Phan Xuân Trí và hành trình 10 năm — Opening performance by Dream Oasis Guitar Ensemble at the Da Nang International Guitar Festival. Photo: Diary Media

At this International Guitar Festival, the opening performance with the youthful and passionate playing of the young people made a great impression on the audience. With a carefully selected repertoire, the opening night also brought the best works of international and Vietnamese Guitar artists. Among them, we must mention the performance Tango en skai - the most famous free-spirited Tango by French musician and Guitarist Roland Dyens.

This piece was improvised by him on stage and later due to public demand, it was written into music and published. With the playing of artist Padet Netpakdee, the spirit of the piece was conveyed excellently, bringing emotions to the audience.

Artist Le Hoang Minh performs Suite Cavatina (5 movements) - a neoclassical work by talented Polish musician Alexandre Tansman. The work was dedicated to the famous pianist Andres Segovia by the author. In 1950, the Sienna Conservatory (Italy) held a composition competition for guitar and Suite Cavatina won first prize. A masterpiece for guitar performed by an experienced artist is a first-time experience for guitar lovers.

The International Guitar Festival aims at international standards and norms with performances, teaching and sharing of experiences by many artists from many countries around the world such as: Australian artist of Vietnamese origin Le Hoang Minh, artist Campbell Diamond (Austria), artist Padet Netpakdee (Thailand), artist Phan Xuan Tri (Vietnam), artist Nguyen Ngoc San (Vietnam) and the Dream Oasis Guitar Ensemble (Vietnam).

With two main concerts, the audience will enjoy a rich and diverse repertoire of music, spanning different musical periods, from Baroque music, Romantic music, Neoclassical music, modern music and Latin-American music...

Guitarist Phan Xuan Tri's 10-year journey of perseverance

To have the first International Guitar Festival in Da Nang is a journey of more than 10 years of perseverance with all the passion and enthusiasm of Guitar artist Phan Xuan Tri.

Classical guitar is a form of art that is selective of its audience. In Da Nang, the "living space" of classical guitar is even more difficult. Having been passionate about guitar since childhood, Phan Xuan Tri officially chose classical guitar to pursue as his lifelong career at the age of 18. In 2004, he graduated from the Intermediate Professional Classical Guitar program at the Hue Academy of Music and the Bachelor of Classical Guitar Performance program at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music in 2010.

Having received a formal education and exposure to cultural environments, artist Phan Xuan Tri has cherished the dream of one day bringing his guitar back to his hometown of Da Nang and building a Guitar foundation in his hometown.

He shared: "When I was a student, because of my love for classical guitar, I traveled far and wide to find a teacher to study with. I gradually studied at an intermediate level in Hue, then continued to move to a new environment in Ho Chi Minh City. For me, guitar is a way of life. I realize that Da Nang is a city that develops in many aspects, but the classical guitar and chamber music fields are still very limited. I really want to build and develop the art of classical guitar into a cultural point, a new feature of Da Nang city."

With that determination, since 2010, artist Phan Xuan Tri has returned to Da Nang, together with his dedicated colleagues, he has organized regular Guitar concerts at the end of each year. For more than 10 years, such concerts have been held regularly. He realized that Da Nang does not lack audiences who love Guitar. His persistent journey has received the sympathy of many audiences as well as artists.

"To create a habit, it is important to give the audience the opportunity to interact, create a connection with the audience, help the audience realize that Classical Guitar Music is also extremely relaxing and easy to approach, not something too esoteric or scholarly." Along with organizing concerts, generations of students who love and pursue the art of Classical Guitar have also been inspired by artist Phan Xuan Tri's passion.

Phan Xuan Tri built his academic career and improved his profession by studying with masters such as: Le Hoang Minh (Australia), Rene Izquierdo (USA), Jeremy Jouve (France) and Paul Cesarczyk (USA).

He has performed in many major concerts held in Hanoi, Saigon, Hue, Can Tho and Da Nang. He is also a guest artist in international guitar festivals such as: Silpakorn International Guitar Festival and Calm in Bangkok 2015, 2016, 2017 (Thailand), Alor Setar International Guitar Festival 2017 (Malaysia), Jakarta International Guitar Festival (2018) and is also a founding member of the Southeast Asia Guitar Festival called "The South East Asia Guitar Festival & Performance Ward".

Source: https://danviet.vn/nghe-si-phan-xuan-tri-va-hanh-trinh-10-nam-gioo-trong-nghe-thuat-guitar-co-dien-tai-da-nang-20241228124002427.htm