On the closing night of the 2025 National Music Festival, themed "Music Convergence and Dissemination," held at the Ho Chi Minh City Theater, many audience members surely remember the shining moment of Lieutenant Colonel Y Garia Ênuôl, singer and lecturer at the Southern Military Theater, Military University of Culture and Arts, who excellently won the gold medal with the song "The Exciting and Vast Dak Lak Plateau" (composed by Nguyen Cuong). His performance caused the auditorium to erupt. His deep, powerful, wild yet emotionally rich voice, along with his confident demeanor and the free-spirited nature characteristic of a son of the Central Highlands, touched the hearts of the listeners. The song was not just a performance but became a symphony of the mountains and forests, where the flow of musical emotions merged with the vast wilderness, with the call of the roots.

Y Garia Ênuôl performing at the 2025 National Expanded Music Festival. Photo: THANH HIỆP

"This gold medal is not only a reward for talent that has been hidden for many years, but also a recognition of the singer's persistent efforts, his desire to live and his passion for music," commented Major General and musician Nguyen Duc Trinh, President of the Vietnam Musicians Association.

After years away from the big stage to dedicate his time to teaching at the Southern Military Theater, Y Garia Ênuôl's return is truly a memorable milestone. As the son of the legendary artist Y Moan, the singer doesn't see it as pressure but as a source of pride. He is well aware of his role in nurturing, preserving, and maintaining his father's musical legacy and the voice of the Central Highlands for many generations. If Y Moan was the "firebird" of the mountains, then Y Garia Ênuôl is being likened to a "new wind" of the mountains and forests—a person who brings Central Highlands music to life with the spirit of the times, powerful, free, and rich in identity.

Y Garia Ênuôl graduated with a master's degree from the Guangxi Academy of Arts (China). He continuously hones his artistic skills and actively brings music to all parts of the country. Sharing his musical choice, Y Garia Ênuôl said he chose Central Highlands rock to bring ethnic music closer to young people. “Central Highlands music evokes fiery, vibrant melodies. Central Highlands rock uses scales from the ethnic groups and tribes of the Central Highlands with lively, cheerful rhythms – sounds used in festivals, celebrating bountiful harvests, or welcoming new things,” the artist shared. As a lecturer, he always wants his students to have a strong, groundbreaking, positive, and enthusiastic perspective on music. For him, mentioning Central Highlands music must evoke a sense of fire and passion.

Y Garia Ênuôl and his brother, artist Y Vol, are planning to launch a major work with a band on the theme of Dam San—a famous epic of the ethnic group—aiming to revive the heroic spirit of the Central Highlands, help the younger generation understand and love the heritage, and transform heroic epics like Dam San into contemporary, accessible, and enduring works of art that express the aspiration to conquer nature and expand the village.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/ngon-gio-moi-cua-nui-rung-tay-nguyen-1037953