Minh-Trang NGUYEN - music artist

ABOUT ME

Minh-Trang Nguyen is a multi-instrumental artist from Vietnam, an award-winning performer of the 16-string đàn tranh (Vietnamese zither). In addition to her mastery of the đàn tranh and guzheng, she also uses đàn t’rưng (bamboo xylophone), đàn đá (lithophone), and many other instruments.

Minh-Trang comes from a family of musicians and has studied Vietnamese traditional instruments since she was 6. Then, she studied Vietnamese đàn tranh at the Vietnam National Academy of Music for 10 years. In 2008, Minh-Trang won the championship title in the Vietnam National Đàn Tranh Competition. During her Bachelor’s study from 2011 – 2016 at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China, her major was in guzheng performance. She completed her Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology at the Haute Ecole de musique de Geneva in 2022. Currently, Minh-Trang is an independent musician who is active in Europe and especially in Switzerland, where she is based.

With over 20 years of performing experience, she has participated in many international concerts and festivals in about 15 countries worldwide. Recently, she has collaborated with maestro Jordi Savall in several international concerts.

EDUCATION

Haute école de musique de Genève, Switzerland

[2019-2022]

Master, Ethnomusicology

Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China

[2012 – 2016]

Bachelor, Guzheng performance

Vietnam National Academy of Music, Vietnam

[2000 – 2011]

Dan tranh and Traditional Music Performance

CONTACT

E-mail: trangnm9128 [-at-] gmail.com

Experience

2022

02-27.11.22: Asian Food and Cultural Festival, Seedam Plaza, Switzerland.
29.10.22: Anniversary of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam – Algerie, Algerie.
14.09.22: Anniversary of the 77th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day at the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Switzerland.
16.08.22: Ibn Battuta Concert with Jordi Savall at Edinburgh, Scotland.
26.08.22: Ibn Battuta Concert with Jordi Savall at Graz Music Festival, Austria
20-24.05.22: The World Economic Forum – Davos 2022, Switzerland
25.03.22: Event of Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Switzerland
19.01.22: Event of the Lan.Space at Davos Platz, Switzerland

2021

15.11.21: Anniversary of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam – Morroco, Morroco.
27.10.21: Concert Ibn Battuta with Jordi Savall, Instabul, Turkey.
20.10.21: Lecture-concert at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage, University of Cremona, Italy.
06.10.21: Salon de musique des Ateliers d’ethnomusicology at Museum Babier-Mueller, in the theme Art of Đông Sơn.
17.09.21: 76th Anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day by Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Switzerland.
01.09.21: 76th Anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day by the Vietnam Embassy in Switzerland.

2020

19.12.2020: Festival des Cultures du monde de Voiron 37th” at Voiron, France
23.01.2020: Shaping The Future Forum at Davos, Switzerland.
19.01.2020: Welcome Ceremony for the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh at the Embassy of Vietnam in Bern, Switzerland.

2019

Attended Voyage d’étude Soie et bambou 2019, China, with the team at Haute École de Musique de Geneve

2003 – 2016

Member of Tre Việt band – a professional music band that plays traditional and self-invented instruments made of bamboo, stone from the Vietnamese highland.

2015

Organizational committee member, performed at a Chinese-Vietnamese friendship concert, held in Hanoi, Vietnam. (in the news at: china.org.cn, CCTV.com)
Acted as an invited judge at the First National Guzheng Contest- Nanjing Bank Cup
Recorded and arranged curriculum for the Vietnamese Zither music course for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for education purposes.

2013

Performed at the First Guzheng Week Festival at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Worked with professor Wenyan Sun to give online lectures about Vietnamese Zither on the Chinese Guzheng network Guzheng.cn. The lectures are available online at guzheng.cn.

2010

Performed at the Asian Music Festival in Seoul, South Korea
Invited performances from the Japanese Government in the Promotion of Mutual understanding and Cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan, in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa
Japan concert tour with the Vietnamese-bamboo Tre Việt music band.
Performed at the “Music Improvisation” program with a Sweden music band.
Performed at the Philippines ASEAN Cultural Festival

2009

Invited performances on Vietnamese zheng introduction seminar at Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Concert tour with the Orchestra of traditional music of Hanoi Conservatory of Music in Laos

2006

Performed at the Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Honors and Awards

Awards

2015. Bronze medal for team performance in Professional category at the International Jiangnan Sizhu Music Competition. We were the only foreign team in this category.
2009. Top 1 in the entrance examination to Hanoi Conservatory of Music, major in Vietnamese Zheng.
2009. Bronze medal for Ching’ram music instrument performance in the Hanoi Festival of folk songs and traditional music instrument performance (“Liên hoan hát dân ca và biểu diễn nhạc cụ dân tộc thành phố Hà Nội”)
2008. First prize in Vietnamese Zheng solo performance in the National Contest in solo and ensemble of traditional music instruments
2008. Third prize in ensemble performance in the National Contest in solo and ensemble of traditional music instruments
2005. Gold medal for stone music instrument performance in the Hanoi Festival of folk songs and traditional music instrument performance

Scholarships

2011-2015. Vietnamese Government full scholarship for the study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
2012, 2013, 2014. Shanghai scholarhips for excellent foreign students.
2008, 2009. Kumho Asiana, Toyota scholarships for excellent students.

Concerts and tours

Turkish March – Vietnamese Bamboo band

VideoClips

Biển (The sea) – performed at the Hanoi Festival of folk songs and traditional music instrument performance

VideoClips