Artist Phan Xuan Tri from the Da Nang Music Association is no stranger to music audience in Da Nang, especially those who are passionate about guitar.

For many years, the Tri-initiated ‘Da Nang International Guitar Concert’ programme has left a deep impression on the public thanks to its artistic quality and well-organized stage, and the presence of high-class international guitarists.

Guitarist Phan Xuan Tri (standing in back row) teaches children how to play the guitar in Da Nang. Photo: X.D

Born and raised in Da Nang, Phan Xuan Tri was professionally trained about classical guitar at the Hue Academy of Music and Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music.

During his music school years, Tri had the opportunity to work with guitar masters such as Rene Izquierdo and Paul Cesarczyk (USA), and Jeremy Jouve (France).

He is a teacher's pet of well-known Australian Vietnamese guitarist Le Hoang Minh who is a founding member of the quartet Guitar Trek of Australia and has made his professional tours in Europe and Australia.

Over the years, the Da Nang-born guitarist has regularly performed at international guitar festivals around the world. Included are Silpakorn International Guitar Festival and Calm in Thailand's Bangkok capital in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and Alor Setar International Guitar Festival 2017 in Malaysia, and the Jakarta International Guitar Festival 2018 in Indonesia.

He is also a founding member of the Southeast Asian Guitar Festival called “The South East Asia Guitar Festival & Performance Awards”.

In Da Nang, Tri is the initiator for the annual ‘Da Nang International Guitar Concert’. At the same time, he sometimes invites many international organizations and artists to teach guitar to young people and participate in concert performances in Da Nang.

Despite his fame and talents, the guitarist is very humble about his success. He plays music with all his passion and quietly devotes himself to spread the value of classical guitar to the public.

In all the music events that he organizes or participates in, Phan Xuan Tri always humbly puts his name after other artists, but Phan Xuan Tri's talent is something few people deny.

Although he has many opportunities to stay abroad to work, he just wants to return to Da Nang, so that he can do something for his homeland and the community here.

Currently, he opens small-sized guitar classes for many children. However, with his great enthusiasm, he still boldly invests in international textbooks and fully invests in guitars for trainees.

According to Mr. Tri, his purpose is to create a playground for young local people to basically access classical guitar, thereby fostering their love of arts, and orienting them to the values of truth, goodness and beauty.

Tri’s biggest wish is to be able to lay the foundation of classical guitar for young people in Da Nang, as well as build a specialized destination for guitar shows to serve residents and visitors. This will contribute to creating a highlight on arts and enriching the cultural field in the city.

“Although Da Nang is a city of tourism and events, but the city is still lacking artistic highlights to lure international tourists. COVID-19 is over, and the city is in need of more stops for arts to facilitate tourists to experience cultural, artistic and musical values” Tri said.

To make this a reality, after the success of the Da Nang International Guitar Concert, Tri is preparing for the Da Nang Guitar Concert themed ‘Spanish & Latin Impressions’ on December 15.

Most notably, the soon-to-be-organised concert will see the participation of two famous classical guitarists Le Hoang Minh and Nguyen Ngoc San both from Da Nang.

This year’s concert is slated to be held in the closed space of the Hilton Danang Hotel with the aim to bring good sound quality and also help the audience enjoy true chamber music. Like previous events, the concert is free to visitor but will have limit admission and receive arbitrary donations from the audience.

According to artist Phan Xuan Tri, the limit on tickets is to ensure that the auditorium is not cluttered, so that listeners can focus on the performances.

Besides, arbitrary donations from the audience will be used for organizing and maintaining music activities, and supporting the community in the future.

Aside from building quality chamber concerts, Tri also cherishes the dream of organizing more activities to promote the development of classical guitar in the community, including an international guitar festival, and international music camp in Da Nang.

“Most of the events I've hosted so far have been free. For me, the biggest criterion of these programmes is to be able to contribute to promoting the image and people of Da Nang to international friends, and at the same time, drawing much attention from the audience to the classical guitar art” Tri emphasized.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG - Translating by M.DUNG