Vietnamese female guitarist captivates Belgian audience

Interspersed with contemporary and classical Western music, guitarist Le Thu captivated and thrilled the audience with his performances of Vietnamese folk melodies.

From November 22-26, the 2024 International Guitar Festival and Competition, themed "Earth, Our Planet," took place in Brussels, Belgium. The festival brought together many renowned artists from around the world, notably the highly acclaimed Vietnamese-born guitarist Le Thu, who lives in Bahrain. Although the performance started at 8 PM, the auditorium of the Royal Belgian Conservatory of Music was almost completely full. Speaking to a TTXVN reporter in Brussels, Grégory Van Delborg, a Belgian audience member, said he attended the concert with his two sons. His entire family are passionate about guitar and are familiar with the reputation of Le Thu and the other artists performing that evening. Living up to audience expectations, the first part of the performance showcased vibrant cultural displays through captivating Latin-infused music . The most anticipated part of the evening was Lê Thu's performance, featuring guitar solos and a guitar duet with the renowned Austrian-Cuban artist Marco Tamayo. This marked the first time this guitar duet had been performed in Belgium. Interspersed with contemporary and classical Western music, Lê Thu captivated the audience with her renditions of Vietnamese folk melodies, such as the "Lới Lơ" with its Chèo-inspired arrangement for guitar. Particularly noteworthy was her duet with Marco Tamayo on the Northern Vietnamese folk song "Bèo dạt mây trôi." At the end of the performance, thunderous applause filled the hall, prompting the artists to repeatedly stand and bow in appreciation of the audience's affection. Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporter in Belgium after the performance, artist Le Thu emphasized that this was a very special night for her, because 10 years ago, also in Brussels, she first participated in this very competition and won an award. Nine years later (in 2023), she was invited to participate again, but did not perform. This year, exactly 10 years later, she was invited to perform at the competition again. Her feelings remain as strong as they were 10 years ago – wonderful, honorable, and proud. According to artist Le Thu, the fact that so many Vietnamese audience members, including the Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Mr. Nguyen Van Thao, came to enjoy and support her performance, truly moved her. As an artist who has traveled and performed in many countries around the world , performing for her compatriots far from home is always a very sacred, proud, and moving feeling. Not only does she perform for her compatriots, but she also wants to convey the identity and beauty of Vietnamese culture to international audiences, so that they can better understand and love Vietnam and its people. This is also why she always performs Vietnamese works in her concerts. Sharing about the fact that the percentage of women playing guitar is much lower than that of men, artist Le Thu said that her first teacher was her father, and to maintain her success to this day, the biggest motivation is the passion passed down from her father, and secondly, the effort and determination to prove herself. Although women playing guitar face more difficulties than men due to responsibilities for family and children, she always believes that she must always try harder and harder. What men can do, women can also do, as long as they maintain the flame of passion and pride in what they do. Referring to her plans to return to Vietnam to perform for her homeland audience, artist Le Thu affirmed that it has always been a joy and a source of pride, as well as a very important part of her musical career. She returns to Vietnam almost every year to perform and visit her family, and she hopes to meet Vietnamese audiences on the earliest possible occasion, perhaps in May 2025. Meanwhile, male artist Marco Tamayo, who performed the song "Floating Water Lilies and Drifting Clouds" with Le Thu, shared that he has a passion for Asian music in general and Vietnamese music in particular. Although he hasn't been to Vietnam yet, he very much hopes to be able to set foot in this beautiful country. Artist Le Thu, born in 1978, graduated with honors from the Vietnam Academy of Music in 2001 after 15 years of study and became a lecturer at the school. In 2010, she moved to New Delhi and was invited by the Bridge Academy of Music in India to serve as Head of the Guitar Department. Artist Le Thu has won numerous international guitar awards, including Best Asian Guitarist at the Kolkata Guitar Festival (India) in 2010 and 2013, and first prize at the Nilüfer International Guitar Competition (Türkiye) in 2015. She currently lives with her family in Bahrain. She has been invited to perform and teach guitar in many countries such as Italy, France, England, Austria, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Turkey, and the United States. The Brussels International Guitar Festival and Competition is an annual music festival organized by Mr. Hugues Navez, the founding president and artistic director. Over the years, this festival has built a reputation and become a gathering place for artists and guitar lovers from all over the world. Notably, this year's festival is co-sponsored by the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium, alongside the European Union.

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