VietNamNet Bridge – Guitarist Cao Hong Ha will participate in the eighth Thailand International Guitar Festival & Competition, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Strong strings: Cao Hong Ha will take part in an international guitar festival.

The first round takes place tomorrow at 1pm at the Siam City Hotel. Ha will have a 12-minute performance. The final round will be on Sunday at the same time and the short listed contestants will perform different pieces from the 1st round in about 20 minutes.

The 22-year-old guitarist graduated with honours from the city’s Conservatory of Music last year. At the age of 11, Ha won the first prize at the 3rd Open HCM City Guitar Competition in 1997. Three years later, he won the first prize at the competition’s 12-16 year-old category.

He took the cup for the age 12-18 category in 2002 and ranked third in 2004 when he attended in the National Guitar Gala in Ha Noi and Nha Trang.

HCM City audiences were entertained by Ha’s performance last week, where he gave a sample of his competition pieces.

Ha has spent the past seven months practising with his guitar.

“This is my first international competition so I’m worried about it. But I’m confident,” Ha said before leaving for the competition.

Ha is the most talented guitarist of his age who has arrived in HCM City since 2000, according to musician Nguyen Thanh Huy, the HCM City Conservatory’s deputy-dean of Guitar-Accordeon-Organ Department.

Ha hopes to have scholarship in a guitar school abroad, which luckily is one of the prizes of the competition. “This is my biggest dream now.”

The competition draws 24 contestants including European guitarists. In the past, the competition was divided into sections based on age, but this time, the contestants will all compete for the same prizes.

The first place winner will have chance to perform at two concerts: the Moisycos Guitar Festival in Italy and the Asia International Guitar Festival in Bangkok next year.

The jury is comprised of famous guitarists from Italy, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

(Source: Viet Nam News)