Patricia Kaas arrives in Saigon

French pop singer Patricia Kaas is seen in an interview with local media at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza in HCMC’s District 1 on May 12 afternoon.

The singer arrived in town on Sunday for a live concert “Kaas Chante Piaf” that will take place at Ben Thanh Theater, 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1 Wednesday night.

Kaas said the concert in Saigon would be different from her 140 shows in the world as she will perform her own songs in addition to some popular pieces by late French national diva Édith Piaf.

Three musical instrument players will be joining her in some remix and acoustic styles to infuse a new spirit into some old songs. There was a charity gala dinner on May 12 night where participants joined an auction to buy her Emilio Pucci dress at Cannes Film Festival in 2007 to raise funds for HCMC-based NGO Poussières de Vie to help unlucky kids.

After the show in Vietnam, Kaas will come back home and prepare her latest album which would debut next year. For further information about the concert, contact 0944290 423.

Pham Manh Hien meditates with black and white

‘Black 14’, a solo exhibition by artist Pham Manh Hien, is now open to viewers at Tu Do Gallery in downtown HCMC. What is special about this show is Hien’s comeback after 15 years of seeking the true meaning of his life and his style of art.

On display are 25 oil-on-canvas paintings, made by two basic colors: black and white. Amidst the white and black is an immense space of grey presenting the artist’s nonstop meditation and preoccupation. With the change of tones in the two colors in harmony with rich imaginations and sharp metaphors, Hien makes abstracts full of emotions.

The 25 paintings have no names, thus inviting visitors to evaluate and sense them in their own feeling, perception, imagination and knowledge.

The paintings are displayed until May 28 at the gallery, 53 Ho Tung Mau Street, District 1.

Young singers perform Broadway music

Artists from the art troupe Young Ambassadors will perform in Ha Noi and HCM City from May 16–19.

The troupe will give a musical performance of Melodies of Love, which have been performed in 66 countries.

In the 90-minute musical revue, audiences will have a chance to see around 20 of Brigham Young University's finest singers, actors and dancers performing some of the most popular music from the Broadway stage.

Audiences will be taken on a trip back in time as they revisit the classics that changed the music industry forever and a journey through the music of today featuring popular artists such as Michael Jackson, Beatles, Whitney Houston, Jason Robert Brown, and Michael Buble.

The Young Ambassadors have been entertaining audiences all over the world with their charismatic and energy-packed display of music, dance and theatre for over 40 years.

The show in HCM City will be held at 7.30pm on Friday at the Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

The show in Ha Noi will be held at 7.30pm on Monday at the Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street.

International workshop to discuss folk singing

Folk art researchers from various countries will join dozens of domestic scholars at an international workshop on traditional Vietnamese music and folk singing, in the central province of Nghe An.

The participants, from countries that include Russia, the US, France, Belgium and Japan will take a field trip today to Thanh Chuong District of Nghe An Province and Thach Ha District of Ha Tinh Province, where vi dam folk singing is widely practised today, before they hold discussions on folk music the next day.

According to Prof Nguyen Chi Ben, director of Viet Nam Arts and Culture Institute, with more than 80 speeches, organisers expect the scholars will contribute fresh ideas to complete a file of vi dam, Nghe An's folk singing, before submitting it to UNESCO for its recognition of intangible culture.

Researcher gives talk on Vietnamese history

Ethnologist Ta Duc will talk on his newly published research book titled Nguon Goc Nguoi Viet - Nguoi Muong (The Origin of Kinh Group - Muong Group) at 2pm, at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.

The book presents the origins of Phung Nguyen Culture (2,000-1,500 BC) and Dong Son Culture (700-100 BC) as well as the formations of early states namely Xich Qui, Viet Thuong, Van Lang, Au Lac and Nam Viet to clarify on the origins of Kinh and Muong groups.

Gender balance in professions put up for discussion

The Delegation of the European Union will host an event on gender stereotypes at Hanoi Goethe Institute during the European Days 2014.

On May 13’s society is more concerned with gender equality. In Vietnam and elsewhere in the world, women obviously play an important role in family life and society and they have the right to be protected by law.

So the goal of the event is to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment as equality between women and men is a fundamental right and a necessary condition for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Stereotypes and traditional thinking have prevented people in many spheres from utilizing gender equality as a driving force for social development.

The roundtable discussion entitled “Gender Balance in Professions - Vietnam: Where are female drivers and male nannies?” will feature the interaction of Vietnamese and European perspectives with lectures from well-known professionals in the field of gender, social research, culture and the arts.

It will take place at 6 p.m. on May 26 at the institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Hanoi. Registration is open until May 21.

Lang Son celebrates traditional music

The northern upland province of Lang Son held its second folk music and lullaby festival on Sunday with 130 local women performers taking part.

The event featured traditional repertoires of various minority ethnic groups in the region such as Tay, Dao and Nung Chao, reflecting the unique cultural values and identities of each group.

The festival was intended to encourage local women to preserve and promote the tradition of folk music of Lang Son that has been handed down for many generations. It also honors the role of Vietnamese women in both family life and society.

Coinciding with important events such the 60th victory of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu on May 7 and the 124th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh on May 19, the music festival also marked Lang Son’s achievements in development.

Dissonant Nation to rock Cargo Bar

The French Institute in Vietnam and Saigon Sound System will host a rock concert by Dissonant Nation band at 9 p.m. on May 30.

Vocalist and guitarist Lucas Martinez, drummer Granier Simon and bassist Loic Sanchez from Aubagne have a dynamic style of rock.

With the resonating album titled We play We are in their credit, Dissonant Nation have had over 200 performances in France, Canada, Slovakia and Belgium. They often sing the songs of the band Justice and of musician Brian Eno.

Their gig in HCMC will take place at Cargo Bar-Q4, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4. Guests can purchase tickets at www.ticketbox.vn or call to 0916 001 706 for VND100,000 or VND150,000 at the door.