(VOVWORLD) - Born into a family of musicians, Le Thu Huong took to the flute at a very young age. After being trained at the Vietnam National Academy of Music and obtaining her Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark, Huong performed at many international concerts, promoting Vietnamese music to international audiences.
Huong is pursuing a doctorate in Flute Performance at the University of North Texas, in the US. Although specializing in Western classical music, Huong infuses the soul of Vietnamese music into her performances.
“Though now I am studying in the US, I always turn my heart to my homeland. Every year, I arrange my time and work to return to Vietnam and meet Vietnamese audiences,” Huong said.
As an artist, Huong enjoys a variety of musical styles from classical to contemporary. She tries to integrate Vietnamese cultural elements into each musical piece. Huong elaborated: “I perform Vietnamese music on the flute, a Western musical instrument. My knowledge of Vietnamese folk music helps me express the soul of Vietnamese music in my performances”.
In her latest solo concert at the University of North Texas, she played a Vietnamese piece accompanied by alto flute and harp.
“The piece is called “Love story of My Nuong”. My flute playing expresses the sorrow of My Nuong, the daughter of a Hung King, who is in love. The piece is a combination of Vietnamese folk music and Western music,” Huong explained.
Pianist Tran Thai Linh said Vietnamese music is always in Huong's heart.
"Even when Huong uses a Western musical instrument like the flute, we can still feel the soul of Vietnamese folk music,” Linh added.