Newly-founded Sun Symphony Orchestra recruits musicians

Talented Vietnamese and foreign classical musicians living in Vietnam and abroad are invited to audition to join the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) – a newly founded private orchestra based in Hanoi.
Newly-founded Sun Symphony Orchestra recruits musicians ảnh 1Sun Symphony Orchestra introduces its management board last week. (Photo courtesy of the SSO​)

Hanoi (VNA) – Talented Vietnameseand foreign classical musicians living in Vietnam and abroad are invited toaudition to join the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) – a newly founded privateorchestra based in Hanoi.

With the ambition ofestablishing an international-standard orchestra in Vietnam, founding memberssaid they want to bring classical music – often regarded as elite and – closerto the public. At the same time, they want to attract talented musicians,especially Vietnamese, to be involved. Presenting Vietnamese classic music tothe world someday is another goal of the SSO, which is sponsored by one of Vietnam’sleading real estate developers, Sun Group.

The SSOintroduced its management board on September 21. French conductor and winner ofthe 2015 Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition Olivier Ochanine isthe music director and principal conductor. Famous TV emcee, concert producerand contrabassist Vu Anh Tuan is executive director.

Thefive-member board also includes President Tran Khanh, Vice President Le Thi Bich Tran, and general director Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh – all are successfulbusinesspeople with a great passion for on classic music.

 “Asa non-profit orchestra, revenue is not our main goal,” General Director QuynhAnh said at the launching of the SSO’s management board last week.

“We focusonly on how to create a proper environment to nurture and develop Vietnamesemusic talents, then we can offer audiences nationwide regular opportunities toenjoy classical concerts.”

“Especially,we have a long-term plan to bring world-famous artists to Vietnam to performwith the SSO,” she added.

Aiming tooffer the best possible resources for the SSO to develop as aninternational-standard orchestra, the management board also has revealed acostly plan to build a new Opera House near West Lake to serve as a home forthe orchestra.

Thefuture Opera House will be the first project in Vietnam by Italianarchitect Renzo Piano. Piano is well-known for his delicate and refinedapproach to building, displayed in museums and other structures around theworld including the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Shard in London, andthe Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Auditorium Niccolo Paganiniin Parma, and the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.

Whenawarding Piano the “Nobel of Architecture” Pritzker Prize in 1998,the Pritzker Jury compared him to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo andBrunelleschi, highlighting "his intellectual curiosity and problem-solvingtechniques as broad and far ranging as those earlier masters of his nativeland".

Speakingat the press conference, CEO of the Sun Group Dang Minh Truong said: “With thisbuilding project, we expect our new Opera House will be a new temple of art. Wehope it will be an iconic building of Hanoi, like the durian-shaped EsplanadeTheatre in Singapore or the sail-designed Sydney Opera House."

Commentingon the establishment of the SSO, Chairman of the Vietnam Musicians’Association composer Do Hong Quan said he was touched by the idea ofbuilding a new Opera House that will be home to new generations of talentedclassical artists. “So far, we don’t have any Opera House dedicated only to theclassical music yet,” he said.

Musicianswho wish to be SSO members should visit the website http://sunsymphony.vn/ forfurther recruitment information.-VNA
VNA

See more

By 2025, Lam Dong province’s tea cultivation area shrinks to about 12,000 ha of raw material zones. (Photo: VNA)

Four records set as Vietnam hosts first-ever world tea fest 2025

The World Tea Fest 2025, Vietnam’s first international-scale tea festival, features four remarkable records: a mass tea-brewing performance by 1,111 artisans; the preservation of a 100-year-old tea factory; the participation of beauty queens from 80 countries; and the display of 1,000 ancient tea trees, each several centuries old.

Vietnam to host first Asian Esports Championships (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam to host Asian Esports Championships for the first time

Vietnam will host the Asian Esports Championships (ECA 2025) for the first time from November 19–22 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, marking a milestone in the country’s growing presence on the global esports stage, the Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sports Association (VIRESA) has announced.

The Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2025 concludes on November 9 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2025 wraps up, celebrating heritage and style

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Nguyen Tran Quang emphasised that the four-day festival served a dual mission, honouring and preserving the intangible cultural heritage of the Ao Dai while boosting tourism and raising public awareness, particularly among the youth, about the importance of national cultural identity.

Delegates at the Slovak Culture Day in Ho Chi Minh City on November 8 (Photo: VNA)

Slovak Culture Day celebrated in Ho Chi Minh City

Highlights included an exhibition titled "Party in the 21st Century", featuring 58 works blending photography, painting, and ethnography to showcase traditional Slovak “Party” headpieces worn by unmarried women and brides in the 19th–20th centuries.

Performances at the opening ceremony of the First Thang Long – Hanoi Festival 2025. (Photo: VNA)

First Thang Long – Hanoi Festival 2025 opens

The festival, themed “Heritage – Connection – Era”, seeks to showcase Vietnam’s cultural heritage to the world while highlighting Hanoi as a distinctive and creative heritage city.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang speaks at the cultural event. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Cultural event held in Quang Ninh to strengthen Vietnam – EU connection

The event aimed to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between Quang Ninh province, other Vietnamese localities, the EU Delegation, and European embassies in Hanoi, contributing to the comprehensive partnership and cooperation that is moving towards a higher level of cooperation.

“Indochina” (2024), a wood-burning painting by Ngo Van Sac, is nominated among the top three works in the Modern and Contemporary category at Asian Art in London 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese art shines at London Asian Art Week

Works by four contemporary Vietnamese painters were showcased at the exhibition themed Vietnam – Enchanting Beauty, held from October 31 to November 5 at Sotheby’s London, attracting strong interest from collectors, auctioneers, and art enthusiasts from the UK and abroad.

A musical performance at the Ok Om Bok Festival celebration in Vinh Long province on November 5 (Photo: VNA)

Vinh Long celebrates Ok Om Bok Festival

The Ok Om Bok Festival, a traditional cultural event of the Khmer ethnic community and a recognised national intangible cultural heritage, was held on November 5 at the Ao Ba Om national historical and scenic site in Vinh Long province.