Than Trong Uyen Phuong has become the first Vietnamese student to win a scholarship to study in the piano performance faculty of the Berklee College of Music in the US.

Phuong has won seven gold medals at piano and organ competitions organised by Yamaha, Casino and Kawai in Vietnam. She was also a prize winner at the Asian Classic Piano Talent Contest 2007 in Singapore.

To get the scholarship, Phuong had to pass many rounds of exams: playing a piece of jazz music on the piano, playing improvisationally based on a blues rhythm, playing a variation of a standard jazz music piece, presentation, interview and others.

Phuong received the good news on September 15. On September 18, she will know the value of the scholarship (at least 30 percent to full scholarship).

The school fees for studying in the Berklee College of Music’s piano faculty are very high, around $70,000 a year. It is also very difficult to become a student of this faculty.

Before Uyen Phuong, some Vietnamese artists studied at this college, including composer Duc Tri and saxophonists Quyen Thien Dac and Tran Manh Tuan. Some singers like Thu Minh, Doan Trang and Lam Truong attended some short-term courses there.

VietNamNet/TP