(VOVWORLD) - Orchestral music may be considered boring, tedious, and neglected among the young generations amid the rise of social media and other forms of entertainment. But what if we take the familiar melodies in our childhood, and turn them into grand orchestral compositions? That’s what the Concert of Childhood Memory (CCM) did to become the most successful series of instrumental music events in Vietnam. After eight years of bringing nostalgia to its audiences, CCM’s success shows no sign of slowing down. In an era of rapid social media content, what draws the youth to an orchestral concert over two hours long? Let’s find out.
 (Photo: CCM) |
In 2024 alone, the Concert of Childhood Memory (CCM) garnered 4,000 audience members in 6 nights, impressive numbers for a show that almost exclusively plays children's movie soundtracks.
“I’ve known CCM for a long time, around 4 or 5 years ago. I went to this concert as soon as I moved to Hanoi to attend college,” said a member of the audience.
“I choose this concert because I want a different musical experience. Unlike other orchestral concerts, CCM chooses Ghibli movie soundtracks – which is a very familiar theme for me and other young people," an attendee said.
It all began nearly 10 years ago, in the halls of the Vietnam National Academy of Music where three young musicians shared a burning passion. They yearned for a stage where they could perform in front of a large audience.
La Tuan Cuong, CCM pianist and one of the concert’s co-founders, told VOV, “When I was a student at the Academy in 2015, I teamed up with a flute major named Quynh Oanh, and a composition student named Hai. The three of us wanted to create a playground for students at the academy and approach young audiences in Hanoi.”
“Back then, orchestral music concerts were still limited in Vietnam. And even though we music students had spent years honing our skills, there were not really a lot of places for us to perform, which is a pity," Cuong added.
 Through the concert, Cuong wants to create a platform for those who have studied orchestral music for a long time to get the recognition they deserve and bring a breath of fresh air to Hanoi audiences. (Photo: CCM) |
With the students’ adept talent, burning passion for the performing arts, and an immense amount of daring spirit, CCM was born in 2016. For the Vietnam music landscape, it was a time of changes.
The number of music concerts targeted at the young began to flourish, most of which were headlined by either famous pop singers or independent artists. Orchestral music, however, did not garner much attention from the young crowds. Despite having an ensemble of experienced musicians, classical music concerts in Vietnam at the time were mostly attended by middle-aged audiences. Paying for music was also not a common practice among the youth, according to a 2015 survey conducted by the market research company Q&Me.
 Against all odds, the CCM team is committed to their goal. (Photo: CCM) |
“We were really worried about public response then. We didn’t know if people would come to our concert. And since the organizing team was very young, all 20-somethings and students of the academy, we didn't have much experience in stage setup and paperwork,” Cuong recalled.
“Finance was another problem. We had difficulties renting the instruments and practice space. But luckily, since we were young, we had a lot of strength and enthusiasm. We told ourselves that even if we suffered financial loss, we were determined to do the concert no matter what. And we wanted to make it a long-term project,” said Cuong.
 As a team of young musicians, CCM organizers are determined to pave their own path in the orchestral music scene in Vietnam. (Photo: CCM) |
The challenges for an orchestra filled with fresh-faced musicians seemed insurmountable, but it was also the youthful spirit that set them apart from other musical ensembles in Vietnam.
The dynamic in a young orchestra is completely different from an established one. There is little to no distance or hierarchy between the members, so everyone feels comfortable enough to raise all the ideas they have, Cuong explained. That open mindset also led them to a unique path. Instead of going the traditional route by performing well-known classical pieces, Cuong and his group experimented with a new genre.
“The themes we chose are different from most orchestral concerts in Vietnam at that time. Long-established orchestras mostly play classical music, but we wanted to do something else. We realize that if we only play classical works, it would be hard to reach the young generation. Then, how about we start off with something that reminds young people of their childhood? That was when we decided to choose the soundtracks of Ghibli movies. There were 800 people in the audience at the first concert,” said Cuong.
 Movie scores from Ghibli animations are the theme of CCM's first concert in 2016. (Photo: CCM) |
Their opening night was an instant hit. By playing the soundtracks from the films of the Japanese animation studio Ghibli, CCM attracted an audience of 800, mostly young adults. They filled the National Music Academy’s concert hall with music from Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castles - movies that made the childhood of many Vietnamese.
In the following years, nostalgia continued to be CCM’s biggest selling point, as they featured scores from the Walt Disney and Harry Potter films. Even when these concerts supposedly played music from kids’ movies, they were teeming with adults yearning to relive a part of their childhood.
 For many of the 80s and 90s-born generations in Vietnam, CCM plays the melodies that they grew up with. (Photo: CCM) |
Another reason that keeps people coming to the concerts is the organizer’s unwavering commitment to quality in terms of both performance and production. From an orchestra made up of mostly undergraduates, the CCM team now includes many professional musicians and award-winning artists. A simple projection screen displaying the movie scenes has been replaced with an intricate visual and lighting system.
“From the organizer’s point of view, I think the reason for our success is that we focus on the quality of the performances. In an era when people are used to short content on tiktok, you’d think they would no longer watch long, quality videos on youtube, right? Instead, these videos still remain popular. This means that as long as the products are high-quality and can touch the audiences’ heart, they still have a place in today’s entertainment landscape,” Cuong elaborated.
 "We always think of the audiences in everything we do. That is our core value," Cuong told VOV. (Photo: CCM)
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CCM’s attention to details can be seen through their tickets, which are not meant to be used and thrown away, but kept as a souvenir to remind the attendees of the everlasting childhood memory. This year’s ticket, for instance, is a box that doubles as a puzzle set containing different images of Ghibli movie scenes.
Truong Thi Thanh Hang, CCM head of media and content said their creativity process start from the things that audiences first think of when they think about the movies.
"We’ll find all the memorable moments in those films and apply different techniques for our tickets. For example, in the 2018 Harry Potter concert, we thought of the opening theme song in the movie - which is a key factor that reminds people of Harry Potter. That’s why we decided to turn the ticket into a music box that played the Harry Potter theme. In 2022, we wanted to bring a magical touch to the ticket, so we used AR technology to produce an image of Harry Potter riding on his broomstick," Hang added.
 CCM wants the concert tickets to be something the audiences can display, collect and even play with, like the music box ticket in 2018. (Photo: CCM). |
These tiny yet elaborate boxes of tickets were the fruits of tireless labor, as each one is crafted by none other than the CCM team themselves.
Weeks before the concerts, they had to stay up late and assemble the boxes by hand, Hang said. Their hard work paid off, with the Harry Potter music box going viral on social media in 2018, thus catapulting the show to reach new audiences. Among the young concert-goers, many of whom even return years later with their families.
“There are mostly two groups of concert attendees: young adults and those in their 30 to 40s who bring their entire family to the concert. Many of them have been to CCM since they were college students til now, when they have their own family,” said Hang.
 Truong Thi Thanh Hang, CCM head of media and content.
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More than a playground for young musicians to fulfill their dreams, CCM’s success is a positive indication for the future of the Vietnam music industry.
Only less than a decade ago, classical musicians still had a hard time finding a stable income due to the limited demand. In 2017, the Vietnam Law Newspaper reported that even experienced classical artists made less than 20 USD per concert, despite years of rigorous training.
Nowadays, the new wave of orchestral music may be their opportunity to reach a new listener demographic. Until then, the curtains of CCM’s concert series will rise every fall at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, and as the conductor waves his baton, we see ourselves returning to the good old days, far away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.