A 70-member national symphony orchestra dedicated to the performance of traditional music is to be re-established, Le Ngoc Cuong, director of the Department for Performing Arts, said on Nov. 20, 2008.
He said that the Vietnam National Academy for Music has completed a scheme regarding the establishment of the symphony orchestra, which has been submitted to his department for appraisal.
According to Cuong, the re-establishment of the orchestra aims at encouraging the development of traditional forms of music. In the 1960s, Vietnam had a national symphony orchestra dedicated to traditional music which proved extremely popular.
To preserve and develop all forms of traditional music, as well as the playing of traditional musical instruments, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has organized a national traditional music competition for solo performers and ensembles, taking place from Nov. 24, 2008 - Dec. 2, 2008.
More than a hundred individual musicians and bands are taking part, performing pieces on the dan bau (monochord), the dan tranh (16-chord zither), the dan nguyet (Vietnamese two-chord guitar), the dan ty ba (Chinese two-chord lute), the dan nhi (Vietnamese two-chord fiddle) and the sao truc (bamboo flute).
The contest will provide a useful platform for performers and students of traditional music instruments, as well as select members for the orchestra.