Who is the conductor who gave up his high salary to bring his beautiful Chinese wife to work in Vietnam?

Conductor Dong Quang Vinh and pianist Claire Shuangshuang Mo in real life. Photo: Quynh An

Conductor Dong Quang Vinh and pianist Claire Shuangshuang Mo returned to Vietnam in 2013 and officially established their own orchestra in 2014. At first, they faced many difficulties, but it was his foreign wife who convinced Dong Quang Vinh to stay in Vietnam. VietNamNet had a conversation with this artist couple while they and the orchestra were busy day and night with performances and dense cultural diplomacy activities. Many sleepless nights, intending to return to China to work many times - The first time you returned to Vietnam must have been memorable for you? Claire: When I came to Vietnam, I had just graduated, there were many things I didn't know how to do or where to start. Many cultural aspects here are different from China. But now I'm not confused at all. - Have you ever missed home and wanted to return to Shanghai? Claire: That was the beginning because my work in Vietnam was limited and the income was low. Before that, in Shanghai, I taught piano and Vinh practiced with the orchestra and conducted. Our income in Shanghai when we were students was quite stable, we never had to ask our parents for money. When we returned to Vietnam, we had to repair the house so we used up all the money we had saved. And the job search began... The first year, we both had little work and could not earn enough money. My husband and I even had to borrow 20 million VND from a friend. The situation was not like what Vinh promised me before returning to Vietnam: "Don't worry! I will definitely be famous. You just need to stay home and do housework." The first 6 months were very difficult for my husband and I. Vinh did some work in a government agency but the salary was not high, so in the end I had to find students to teach piano. That was also the reason why my husband and I had to form our own orchestra. Because no one invited us, we had to create a collective with new products to prove ourselves.

Dong Quang Vinh and his wife backstage at a show

- Conductor Dong Quang Vinh must have felt a lot of pressure when he first brought his wife back to Vietnam? Dong Quang Vinh: Because I promised her that, I was always worried. Because I had to be responsible when bringing someone to Vietnam. The most frightening thing was that she found the reality too different from what I imagined, words and actions were inconsistent. While before in Shanghai, my income was high and stable, everyone wanted me to stay. China is the place that pays artists and orchestras at the top of the world. That was the reason why I hesitated and changed my decision to stay or go 4-5 times. Sometimes I asked myself: "Should I go back?". Many sleepless nights, thinking about what would happen to my parents when I got old if I went? In addition, I was sent by the State to study, so if I didn't return to serve my homeland, it would not be good, but when I returned, my income was too low. In the end, it was my wife who advised me to stay in Vietnam. Claire: My husband and I decided to stay in Vietnam because the orchestra was very excited about Vinh's new arrangements. In the first half of the year, the orchestra practiced 3 times a week, from noon to afternoon at my house, everyone was enthusiastic. If we returned to China, it would be a waste of the orchestra and a pity for our friends, while Shanghai without Vinh is fine ( laughs). We could have brought the whole bamboo orchestra there to develop, but I think we shouldn't, because we have to start in Vietnam first and then bring it abroad to exchange. The orchestra debuted in January 2014 at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam. They really liked our performance, which gave the whole orchestra a lot of confidence.

Dong Quang Vinh both conducts the orchestra and plays musical instruments.

- How long has it been since the orchestra was established before you felt that your direction was successful? Claire: From the beginning, I was confident that I would succeed. I observed that in Vietnam there were not many traditional orchestras like Suc Song Moi, how to make foreigners enjoy listening to them. Because at that time I did not know how to speak Vietnamese and did not understand the taste of Vietnamese audiences, I planned to develop from the foreign community. Gradually, we participated in many diplomatic activities and were noticed by Vietnamese audiences. Dong Quang Vinh: I rewrote works for the national orchestra, it could be foreign music, it could be folk songs and they were well received. Our difference is that we stage new works in our own style so that each time we perform, we do not have to do it over and over again, wasting time. That is also the way to bring the orchestra far. Dong Quang Vinh: My wife is indispensable in my career - Who started the idea of ​​establishing the 'Suc Song Moi' orchestra? Claire: Before, Vinh had a family band. When I returned to Vietnam, I didn't want to force Vinh's parents to do this or that, to practice 3 hours a day. Being a daughter-in-law like that would be scary! As for young people, I can ask them to practice 6 hours a day like I practiced piano when I was a child. And Vinh can write more complicated music because everyone will complete it according to his wishes. We named this orchestra New Vitality , because the founder, the participants, the viewers and the listeners all feel a new vitality. Dong Quang Vinh (turning to his wife) : This person is indispensable in my career. A wonderful person and also puts a lot of pressure on me. - Did you two have conflicting views when you started working on the orchestra? Dong Quang Vinh: Not much! Mainly in the matter of choosing songs or finding themes and directions. The main problem is due to the nature of the profession. Claire studied composition and I studied conducting. She always wants to do new things, while I like to cover works. My husband and I used to argue a lot, but now we have reconciled some opposing views. We agreed on the direction for the orchestra, dedicating a relatively large part to the Vietnamese audience, then gradually adding new things. At the end of 2022, we received an invitation to participate in the Xuan Que Huong program exclusively for overseas Vietnamese, broadcast on VTV. From then on, I thought about finding more members, unexpectedly many young people in the National Academy of Music were willing to participate. I didn't think I could maintain the size of the orchestra because the biggest problem was still the need for new songs. Writing songs for an orchestra of about 10 people was already tiring, writing for 40 people was another problem. So I tried writing. Unexpectedly, from January 2023, when Xuan Que Huong took place, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and many orders started to come in. The more I worked, the more new songs gradually increased, and the orchestra members were very responsive. We had to hold many auditions for new members and every time people came to fill the auditorium. I realized that with programs like What Still Lasts , they would never work with small orchestras but had to choose a grand symphony orchestra. I realized that when you do something big enough and good enough, the impact will be better.

Dong Quang Vinh commanded many major events, especially diplomatic events or receptions for heads of state and welcoming famous people to Vietnam.

- That means it was not until early 2023 that he could breathe a sigh of relief because the promise he made to his wife 10 years ago when he brought her back to Vietnam had come true? Claire: That's right! The national orchestra is Vinh's dream. Before returning, Vinh always hoped to establish a national orchestra that would develop like in China. Vinh worked with many orchestras, conducted many symphonies, but not many national orchestras. Therefore, he decided not to wait any longer and established his own orchestra. Up to this point, I see that Suc Song Moi is very good because it has been operating for 10 years without any sponsorship. Dong Quang Vinh: We are probably the largest orchestra that practices the least in Vietnam. I am the one who takes the most time because I have to come up with new pieces and note down the notation very carefully. This is the way the world's leading symphony orchestras work. When I was in Shanghai, I saw the Chicago Orchestra just come back from the airport and only needed 1 hour to run a test program for the night's performance. There was an orchestra that gave me the pieces and played them right away. We always choose people with good technique, and the songs must also be 'good' so that they can play well. This way, people will not feel tired or complain about having to leave this or that to practice. The orchestra only practices together once a week before performing.