Thanh Hoa Art Organising and Performing Company, owned by People’s Artist Thanh Hoa, hosted a meeting to discuss the creation of a Vietnam singers’ association. Singer Thanh Hoa talked about her and her colleagues’ plans.

Where did the idea come from to establish a singers’ association? Is it necessary?

The idea was actually initiated by composer Le Quang at the first Singers’ Day organised in 2006. Quang told his colleagues at that time that a singers’ association would help facilitate the exchange of experiences.

HCM City-based Dong A Company, another company working with artists, has ever since tried to gather singers, draft the association’s regulations and complete the file to submit to concerned agencies. We do not know what is holding up the process.

Now, I think that I should do something towards that purpose. All other artists have their association such as the Composers’ Association, Painters’ Association, Dancers’ Association and even one for the fairly new career in Viet Nam of modelling.

Singers, however, have no serious and official association. We don’t just want to gather and perform in one or two shows a year. We want to gather in a professional career association to get proper protection from the State, the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Who do you think will benefit from the establishment?

I think both singers and the society will benefit from the association. Older generations of singers will have chance to orient younger generations on music aesthetics, national identity and the good features of international music.

Singers, who have great influence on audience lifestyles, fashion trends and aesthetic taste, have so far acted separately. There should be a professional career association to regulate their behaviours for the sake of national culture and enhance their social consciousness.

How do you think the association will work?

The association should be led by an honourable chairperson, who should be an experienced and respected singer. There should be three vice-chairpersons, who are also heads of three association branches of the northern, central and southern regions. Junior members of the board should include representatives of singers of all genres of music and ages.

The association will protect singers’ rights, develop singers’ trademarks and careers and help enhance singers’ social responsibilities.

Association members may gather once a year. We may draw lessons from the operation of other previously established artists associations.

When do you think the dream will come true and the association will get established?

Establishing an association is not only my will; many young singers like Khanh Linh, Thanh Lam and Tung Lam have shown their desire for such an organisation.

To this end, we will gather again later this month to draft the association’s regulations and a document to submit to the related ministries.

Representatives of three contemporary generations of artists will create the regulations. We hope the association will be established by October this year.

VietNamNet/VNS