German choir to hold three a cappella concerts in Vietnam next week

Gewandhaus Choir Leipzig, one of the most renowned German concert choirs for more than 150 years, will have two shows in the capital and one in the southern metropolis, the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, which invited the band for the program, said.

The first event will be an a cappella concert consisting of German folk songs covering three centuries in the concert hall at the Music Academy Hanoi at 8:00 pm on October 11.

Interested people with experience in choir singing who have signed up before October 5 will then join the German singers on stage in singing two polyphonic songs, in what the Goethe-Institut said is the highlight of the show.

On October 13, the choir will perform “Ein Deutsches Requiem” (A German Requiem) together with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO). The event is slated to be held at the Hanoi Opera House.

The concert will be directed by Japanese conductor Tetsuji Honna, with vocals by the two soloists, German bass-baritone Steven Klose and the Vietnamese soprano Ha Pham Thanh Long.

The VNSO was founded in 1959 and performs about 60 concerts each year in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.

After the events in Hanoi, Gewandhaus Choir Leipzig will hold a concert together with the choir of the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra at the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh City on October 15.

Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1993 and performs a big repertoire including orchestra, ensemble, solo, opera and ballet pieces.

The two troupes will sing folk songs of Vietnam and Germany with an a cappella twist.

Gewandhaus Choir Leipzig is closely linked to the traditional Gewandhaus orchestra, the Goethe-Institut said on its website.