In June 2009, the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra will turn 50. But the orchestra’s director, Meritorious Artist Ngo Hoang Quan, complained that he may lose all instrumentalists.

The Vietnam Symphony Orchestra.

Half a century of pride

The Vietnam Symphony Orchestra has experienced 50 years of ups and downs in wars and peace and it is still the leading symphony orchestra of Vietnam, among the country’s five symphony orchestras. It is said that the orchestra is not inferior to any orchestra in the region.

Moreover, in orchestras in the region, the number of hired European instrumentalists is equivalent to native instrumentalists while all instrumentalists of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra are Vietnamese.

All members of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra have bachelor’s degrees and 15% are master’s degree holders.

The orchestra was established in 1959, named the “Vietnam Ballet and Opera Symphony, Chorus Orchestra”, the forerunner of the current Vietnam Symphony Orchestra and the Vietnam Ballet and Opera Theatre.

The orchestra currently has nearly 70 instrumentalists. Nearly 10% of them were trained in the former USSR or Eastern European countries.

Though all instrumentalists have degrees, their salaries are generally the level of vocational secondary school graduates. Their average monthly income is between VND2-2.5 million ($115-150). In the time of economic crisis, it is really hard for them to live in the capital city on that sum of money.

However, they are trying to not quit their job by doing extra jobs. For instant, Nguyen Thien Thang, a senior clarinet player, is earning his living by playing clarinet and repairing motorbikes. Tran Hoang Phong, a cor player, is also a turner. Nguyen Thu Nga, a viola player, is a trader of sports uniforms.

Brain-drain, a possibility

The Vietnam Symphony Orchestra’s Director Ngo Hoang Quan said many symphony orchestras in the Southeast Asia region are recruiting instrumentalists and the need is large. They don’t have a methodological and long-term training procedure for instrumentalists for symphony orchestras like Vietnam so they often “import” foreign artists.

Quan affirmed that if instrumentalists of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra apply, they will surely be admitted because their professional skills are very high.

He is worried that one day he may lose all instrumentalists, because of two reasons: firstly, it is very easy for them to apply for recruitment, and secondly, the working conditions offered by regional symphony orchestras are very good (monthly pay of $1,500 to $2,000 and in some cases, instrumentalists are provided with housing and a car).

It is unfair to ask artists to be responsible and sacrifice for their job and nobody can blame them if they seek better jobs. Cultural officials should do something to keep symphony instrumentalists.

VietNamNet/TT