The World Youth Orchestra (WYO) has arrived in Hanoi for its inaugural visit to Vietnam from March 30 to April 12, where it will rehearse and perform with members of the Youth Symphony Orchestra, Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAMYO) in the Sounds of Brotherhood project.
The project aims to foster the artistic, musical, and theatrical talents of young people and support the development of Vietnamese artists to promote artistic and cultural collaboration between Italy and Vietnam.
It encompasses four key activities: performances, music education, theater workshops, and professional support for Vietnamese artists.
| WYO will collaborate with VNAMYO in performances, exchanges, and workshops. Photo: VNAMYO |
“The Italian Embassy in Hanoi is delighted to support the Sounds of Brotherhood project, which makes a valuable contribution to fostering people-to-people exchanges,” said Marco della Seta, Ambassador of Italy to Vietnam.
The World Youth Orchestra, comprising 70 young musicians from universities, academies, and conservatories worldwide, commenced its Vietnam tour on April 6 at the Concert Hall of the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi with A Night of the Ascending Dragon, a concert designed to promote dialogue between Italian and Vietnamese repertoires. On April 10, the tour continues at the Hanoi Opera House with the Opera Puccini Gala, a concert featuring soprano, tenor, and orchestra to commemorate the centenary of Maestro Giacomo Puccini’s passing.
The theatrical activity, Sound Dialogues, will be conducted in two phases – from March 30 to April 11 and from September 2 to 8 – and involves 25 Vietnamese students from the Hanoi Academy of Theater and Cinema. It aims to explore and enrich the intercultural dialogue between Italy and Vietnam through the acting and pedagogical expertise of three Italian theater professionals: Valeria Almerighi, Federico Brugnone, and Carolina Leporatti.
Their approach emphasizes the connection between sound and movement that characterizes body language, where words not only convey content but also possess significant and universal expressive power.
| The WYO4CHILDREN program provides children with a deeper understanding of music. Photo: VNAMYO |
WYO4CHILDREN, on the other hand, targets orphaned or abandoned children in Ho Chi Minh City, aiming to foster their emotional, individual, and social growth through music. The initiative, which commenced on January 27 and will conclude in September 2024, includes a program of weekly lessons where 80 children aged 5 to 17 will acquire basic musical skills, play classical and traditional Vietnamese instruments, form a community choir, and develop their social skills through group activities. The support of the Missionaries of Charity of Binh Duong, who provided their facilities an hour outside of Ho Chi Minh City, was instrumental in the project’s realization.
The fourth activity will be executed in partnership with the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies and will involve announcing a call for projects aimed at Vietnamese artists from various disciplines (music, theater, or visual arts). A jury of experts will select the winning projects, which will receive a scholarship.
Additionally, a conference titled “The Oriental Influences on Giacomo Puccini” will be held on April 9th at the Department of Italian Studies of the University of Hanoi by Prof. Simone Caputo, in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome.
After 23 years of operation, WYO boasts representation from 75 countries, 300 international partner universities, 3,500 participating talents, 350 events held, and over 10 million attendees at its concerts worldwide. It has received numerous institutional recognitions, including those from the UN, UNICEF, the European Commission, and the President of the Italian Republic.
The project, envisioned by WYO Artistic Director and Founder Damiano Giuranna, aims to demonstrate that music should not be confined to being an elite cultural necessity but can be a potent tool for communicating values and ideas and a means of cultural diplomacy capable of promoting best practices in the artistic, social, and political spheres.
“For over 20 years, the World Youth Orchestra Foundation has leveraged music and art to foster community, inspire thought and action for brotherhood, cultural diplomacy, and peace, offering Italy a project that represents the country internationally, a project of high academic and institutional prestige,” said Damiano Giuranna.
