Hanoi welcomes return of outdoor concert series

The Luala Spring Summer Concert is being held every Saturday and Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its usual venue outside the Music Publishing House at 61 Ly Thai To Street, opposite to the capital’s Opera House.

The organizers, including the publishing house, luxury brand distributor DX and Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, said the latest series will have performances by both traditional and contemporary musicians, as well as interactions between traditional Vietnamese and modern Western music.

They said the series aims to promote the development of Vietnamese music culture and encourage artists to be creative and keep providing the public with new music pieces and experiences.

Different forms of Vietnam’s traditional music including cheo and cai luong are being presented, besides jazz, electronic and indie music.

The opening day on April 20 saw an interaction between cai luong and jazz.

Le Cat Trong Ly, an indie singer and songwriter will perform new pieces this Saturday, April 27. Ly is a favorite artist among many Vietnamese youth. She has reenergized the itinerary singing tradition in southern Vietnam that started in 1966, with artists traveling around to perform for local communities, especially students. 

On April 28, artists will perform the soundtrack of Lang toi (My village), one of Vietnam’s first modern circuses which has been touring the world for three years, using original music from various ethnic groups.

Traditional musicians will also perform on May 4, followed by new music pieces for classical orchestra the next day.

The series will be extended for a special performance on May 12 at Eco Park in Xuan Quang Ward, Van Giang District, Hung Yen Province, where classic and semi-classical pieces will be performed by a string orchestra.

The first Luala concerts were offered in November 2011 as part of a community project to bring music to everyone, and they have delighted Hanoi residents. 

Do Ngoc Minh, chairman of luxury-brand distributor, DX Group, who initiated the Luala concerts after attending several street performances abroad, had said during the first series: “In an Opera House, the audience has no choice but to sit quietly in their place to listen to the music even though they might not like it, but at such outdoor concerts, the artists must show off all their talent to attract the audience.”