Vietnamese Individual Appointed as Judge for International Tchaikovsky Competition

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ta Quang Dong, 57, is working alongside 11 other experts worldwide to judge the piano category of the international Tchaikovsky competition this year. With plenty of experience in training students to win prizes at international contests and serving as a judge in many global piano competitions, he received an invitation from the organizers of the competition.

Graduating from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in 1988, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ta Quang Dong returned to Vietnam and was subsequently appointed as deputy director of Hue Conservatory. He then became the director of the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, he is also serving as the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Vietnam.

The international Tchaikovsky competition was first held in 1958 and is named after the famous Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It takes place every four years in Russia for pianists, violinists, and cellists aged 16 to 32, as well as singers aged 19 to 32. The competition aims to showcase the talent of young musicians from around the world. Past editions of the competition have launched the careers of renowned musicians such as pianists Van Cliburn and Vladimir Ashkenazy, violinists Gidon Kremer and Victoria Mullova, cellists Mario Brunello and David Geringas, as well as singers Vladimir Atlantov and Elena Obraztsova.

The 17th edition of the competition began on June 19 and is scheduled to last through to July 1. The piano category is being judged by expert musicians from various countries, including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ta Quang Dong.