The 2013 International Piano Festival, a biennial music event which gathers local and international seasoned pianists, is running at Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music from today, Dec 2, to Dec 7.

According to Dr. Van Thi Minh Huong, head of the HCMC Conservatory of Music, the festival, in its second year, will feature performances by expat Vietnamese pianists Dang Thai Son and Nguyen Bich Tra, France’s Olivier Chauzu, Russia’s Alexander Strukov, Singapore’s Ernest Lim, and American piano duet Hirsch and Pinkas. Several artists and piano students studying locally and abroad including German Vietnamese Seraphin Maurice Lutz and Luu Hong Quang will also participate in the festival.

Though the number of participating artists hasn’t changed, this year’s festival has seen a notable improvement in the quality of performers.

“We’ve been preparing for this year’s festival since the first one ended. After the success of the first festival, we received lots of applications from local and international artists, but we had to pick only those who met the festival criteria. Also, the festival can’t last more than one week. The music has been adapted so that the majority of the population can fully appreciate it,” said pianist Le Ho Hai, acting dean of the conservatory’s piano faculty.

The festival boasts six main performances, featuring solos, duets, and even pieces played by four and eight hands. The performances will be at 7:30pm from December 2nd through 6th at the HCMC Conservatory of Music, with a closing concert at HCMC Opera House at 7:30pm on Dec 7th.

There will also be a free performance at Sen Hong Stage at 23-9 Park in District 1 at 7:30pm on Dec 8th.

Along with the performances, three master classes on piano technique, open to everyone, will be given at the HCMC Conservatory of Music by Meritorious Artist Dang Thai Son (10am on Dec 3rd), Olivier Chauzu (2pm on Dec 6th) and Alexander Strukov (2pm on Dec 7th).

Dr. Ernest Lim will give two presentations on music for keyboards in the 18th century and music for the piano in the Romantic Age at 9am on Dec 4th and 5th.

Seasoned artist Nguyen Bich Tra, a member of the Royal Academy of Music in London, will also give a talk on how to study and perform the piano at 2pm on Dec 4th. American duet  Hirsch – Pinkas will also give a performance followed by a talk on the challenges and rewards of piano duets at 2pm on Dec 5th.