Vietnamese female guitarist captivates Belgian audience

Duo Thu Lê and Marco Tamayo (Photo: bigfest.be)

BRUSSELS – Vietnamese-origin female guitarist Lê Thu has drawn much attention from Belgian audience at the 13th edition of the Brussels International Guitar Festival & Competitions “Our Planet, the Earth” held in Belgium from November 22 to 26.

Thu's performance included solo guitar and duo guitar segments, and a duet with the famous Austrian-Cuban artist Marco Tamayo.

This is the first time the guitar duo has performed in Belgium.

Interspersed with contemporary and classical Western music, Thu amazed audience taking on such cultural classics as the Vietnamese folk tune Lới Lơ, a piece of chèo (traditional opera) that has been transcribed for guitar.

The folk songs of the northern region Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi (When Earth and Sky Unite) played by Thu and Tamayo received an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Thu said that she wants to spread the identity and beauty of Vietnamese culture to international audiences, so that they can understand and love the country and people of Vietnam. This is also the reason why she incorporates Vietnamese works in her performances.

Thu, born in 1978, graduated from the Việt Nam National Academy of Music in 2001 after 15 years of studying and became a lecturer at the school.

In 2010, she moved to New Delhi and was invited by the Bridge Music Academy of India to be the head of the Guitar Department.

She has won many international guitar awards at guitar festivals in India and Turkey.

She currently lives with her family in Bahrain, and has been invited to perform and teach guitar in Italy, France, England, Austria, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Thailand, Malaysia, and the US. VNA/VNS