A line-up of talented classical musicians from Vietnam and the US will gather to perform at the first Vietnamese American Music Festival, which will start in Hanoi and HCM City this week. The organiser, the Vietnam National Academy of Music, expects the festival will help Vietnamese artists show their skills while performing in harmony with foreign artists. "The festival is also a great chance for the artists to exchange experiences through performing, workshops, and master classes," said Le Anh Tuan, vice director of the Academy of Music. Leading Vietnamese artists from the National Academy of Music, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO), HCM City's Academy of Music, and the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will share the stage with American artists from the International Chamber Players and Fantasmi Baroque Ensemble during the festival. The Baroque Concerti and Romantic Treasures concerts will headline the festival. The first is dedicated to Baroque music – a style used from the 16th century to the 18th. The second concert will present works from world-famous composers such as Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms and Louis Spohr. "Concert-goers will enjoy the music of different music instruments that have been widely used since the Baroque era such as harpsichord, violin, cello and viola," said vice director Tuan. Romantic Treasures will also feature the capriccio Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) for string orchestra by Vietnamese female composer Dang Hong Anh. Award-winning violinist and special guest artist Bui Cong Duy will perform in Baroque Concerti and Romantic Treasures, which will take place at the Vietnam National Academy of Music's concert hall at 7.30pm on August 20 and 22. Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the VNSO's music director and principal conductor, will lead the Romantic Treasures concerts. After Hanoi, the two concerts will be held in HCM City's Opera House on August 26 and 28. Lectures on harpsichord, baroque and contemporary music will be held on August 19 and 21 at the National Academy of Music.-VNA