MMF founder and director Quoc Trung (right), and a representative of Techcombank, To Thi Phuong Thuy, exchange the signed document on the establishment of the 'Inspire Your Next Fund' to support Vietnamese young and talented artists. (Photo: VNA) The opening night, slated on October 14 at the Dong Kinh Nghia ThucSquare by Hoan Kiem Lake, will feature performances by bands Galaxy Expressfrom the Republic of Korea, Club Mild from Singapore, singer Dolly Ave from theUS, alongside Vietnamese bands The Cassette, Meow Lac, and Phao.
The six-day music week entitled “Pho Hang Nhac” (Street of Music),inspired by traditional street names in Hanoi’s Old Quarter where each streetsells a different type of goods, dozens of concerts and performances will beheld at several locations in the area.
Music lovers can enjoy a diverse range of music programmes staged by artistsfrom Vietnam, India, the UK, Italy, Thailand, France, Sweden, and the CzechRepublic.
Most of the bands and artists performing during the festival were selectedthrough a submission process, held at the MMF for the first time.
“This year, we have pioneered in opening applications for both Vietnamese andforeign artists who wish to participate in the MMF. A total of more than 200applications from nearly 20 countries were submitted to the organising board,”the founder and director of the MMF, music producer Quoc Trung, said.
Their performances will take place simultaneously at different venues in theOld Quarter area, including the Centre for Art and Culture at 22 Hang Buom street,the Old Quarter Culture Exchange Centre at 50 Dao Duy Tu street, the Chuong VangTheatre at 72 Hang Bac street, the 1900 Le Théâtre at 8B Ta Hien street, andthe Nguy Nhu Kon Tum auditorium at 19 Le Thanh Tong street.
The lineup of artists performing at the festival also consists ofwinners of LiveSpace Vietnam – a music contest launched in 2021 by L’Espace incollaboration with the MMF aiming to discover talented local singers and musicbands, helping them to develop their music career. The winning bands include NhungDua Tre (The Children), Meow Lac, Lope Dope, and Limebócx.
MMF founder Trung will join Xinh Xo – a Vietnamese-Americanelectroacoustic/electronic composer and improviser, to deliver two concertsentitled “The Field of Heritage” on October 15 and 16 at the Centre for Art andCulture at 22 Hang Buom street.
Two gala nights, which are expected to draw up to an audience of 20,000, willbe held on October 21 and 22 at the former Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – asignificant historical heritage site of the city.
“Vietnam’s Queen of Hip-hop” – singer and songwriter Suboi (Photo courtesy of the artist) The closing night’s repertoire will present performances by one of Vietnam’smost beloved indie artists – Vu who is dubbed by Billboard magazineas the “Prince of Vietnamese Indie Music”, and the Ngot band. The night willalso feature Goodluck from South Africa, Lydmor from Denmark, and ForgottenFuture from the US.
Alongside concerts and music performances, the MMF 2023’s agenda also includesthree workshops on October 20 and 21. The workshops will centre on topics suchas policies for cultural projects in Hanoi; health and safety issues in theperforming arts industry; and guidance for young artists and bands in findingtheir own market.
The MMF and Techcombank have joined hands to establish the "Inspire YourNext Fund" to further support young and talented Vietnamese artists.
With the financial support from the fund, young artists will havechance to participate in short-term training courses and relevant workshopsthat can help them to develop their profession.
Furthermore, through the fund, the MMF will introduce and connectthe artists with recording companies, communication management brands and musicproducers. This aims to offer them more opportunities to shine in Vietnam’smusic industry./.
VNA
