AsemconnectVietnam - Assoc. Prof., Dr. Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has become the first Vietnamese to be invited to join the jury for the piano contest at the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition, the ministry announced on June 26.

 The competition, named after Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, has been held every four years in Russia since 1958 for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of age.

This year’s competition is taking place in Moscow and Saint Petersburg from June 19 to July 1.

With six specialties of piano, violin, cello, voice, brass instruments, woodwind instruments, the 17th competition received 742 entries from 41 countries around the world. Particularly or piano, there were 153 applications from 23 countries.

Born in Vietnam in 1966, Dong initially studied at the Vietnam Academy of Music before pursuing further studies at the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

He has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in Russia, Vietnam, and the US, with broadcasts of his performances reaching national and international audiences.

Dong co-founded several international piano competitions and festivals in Vietnam. He served as the Vice-Rector of the Hue Academy of Music and the Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, with many of his students winning awards at international and national piano competitions.

Since 2019, he has served as the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam./.

Source: VNA