HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City Music Conservatory isorganising a summer music camp to provide participating young people with aplatform to showcase their talents during their annual break from school.

The camp is one of many activities that the conservatory plans for2017. To take part in this camp, applicants were required to display a soundunderstanding of music and submit video clips of their performances to theorganisers via YouTube links or compact disks (CD).

As many as 50 applicants aged 7 - 24 from HCM City, Nha Trang, Huecity, Da Nang, Hanoi, Hai Phong and the Republic of Korea were selected for thecamp.

During the one-week camp, they’ll receive training in differentmusic genres and instruments, including classic piano, classical guitar,classical vocals, jazz, flute and others. They will also have the opportunityto join performances with experienced artists, including practicing dancingwith teachers from the HCM City Dance School.

After final tests, participants will perform on August 8 at theconservatory.

Organisers aim to make this summer music camp an anticipatedannual event, attracting both Vietnamese and foreign students from theSoutheast Asian region.

This is the first time the conservatory is organising an internationalstandard music camp, said senior artist Ta Minh Tam, deputy director of theconservatory.

“We hope that the camp will add an interesting twist to the city’smusic industry,” he said, adding that other music institutions in HCM Cityshould also consider hosting similar activities.

Despite some limitations in facilities and infrastructure, theconservatory has launched other meaningful projects for both students andteachers.

A mini concert held every Saturday morning outside theconservatory is an example. This event has gained in popularity, bringingacademic music closer to mainstream audiences.

In a recent seminar, the conservatory proposed that the cityauthority funds some of its activities this year, including organising concertsand sending students overseas for further education.

Though the plan was approved, a delay in funding has prompted theconservatory to call for support from other sources, including lecturers’friends and families and some companies, said Ta Quang Dong, director of theconservatory.

With minimal funding, many projects could not be as professionalas the conservatory had planned them to be, he added.

Meanwhile, the conservatory is preparing for three significantevents in months to come: a music tour of Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria inOctober, a national guitar contest in November, and a national classicalsinging contest in December.

Dong said he hopes the conservatory would become a high-qualitymusic institution recognised not only in Vietnam but in Asia as a whole.-VNA