Head of Monsoon Music Festival’s organising board, composer and music producer Quoc Trung speaks at a press conference in Hanoi on November 9 (Photo courtesy by MMF) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Thisyear’s Monsoon Music Festival (MMF) – Vietnam’s biggest music festival – may bethe last, as the organisers can’t find a suitable venue for the coming years.
According to MMF’s founder and headof the organising board, music composer/producer Quoc Trung, the localauthorities have said the festival cannot take place again at the formerImperial Citadel of Thang Long because it is a significant historical relic ofthe city. The authorities made this decision even though the festival has beencelebrated as part of Hanoi’s long-term cultural development plan, which wasapproved by the city’s People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung.
“I had a presentation in front oflocal cultural authorities about the festival, explaining that I would like todevelop it to become one of most prestigious international music festivals ofthe region. While some people do their best to support our festival to developas a major cultural product, and something that can drive tourism in Hanoi,some do not. I don’t know what to say when my project has not received thesupport of everyone,” he said at a press conference in Hanoi on November 9, oneday before the festival’s opening day.
The vast grass ground of theImperial Citadel on Hoang Dieu street, with a capacity of up to 10,000 people,is an ideal space to host the festival.
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Composer Trung said he is willing toreward anyone who can find a new venue in Hanoi for MMF.
“It must be a vast open-air venue,with at least a 2-hectare large. It should be a bit isolated from the crowdedliving area to avoid annoying local residents. It should also be accessible bypublic transport. Green trees and grassy ground are other requirements,” Trungsaid.
A suitable venue is a criticalcomponent of the organising process.
“Normally, to ensure every step ofthe festival can be perfect, we have to start the preparation one year inadvance. It’s impossible to organise the event well until the venue has beenfixed because we can’t call on sponsorships, can’t invite artists, can’toutline the schedule, and can’t submit for a performing licence,” the head ofMMF said.
Since its debut in 2013, the musicfestival has become a new cultural “phenomenon” of Hanoi. Every season, theevent presents a line-up of international singers and bands from around theworld. Grammy-winning soul singer Joss Stone, the best-selling string quartetBond, and the world-famous rock band Scorpions were among artists that hadperformed at MMF.
More than 80,000 audience membersattended three previous iterations of MMF. The festival won the “VietnameseGrammy” Devotion Award for Music Show/Festival of the Year in 2015.
The three-day Monsoon Music Festival2017 will begin on November 10 at 6pm.-VNA
VNA
