The late People's Artist Trung Kien: A rare singer who was awarded the title of professor, a teacher of veteran vocalists

People's Artist Trung Kien can be considered one of the few artists who has achieved an illustrious career on both stage and research, teaching, and management. His d.eath made the public sad and was a great loss to the domestic academic music industry.

A rare singer is awarded the title of professor

People's Artist Trung Kien's real name is Nguyen Trung Kien, born in 1939 in Kien Xuong, Thai Binh, in a family with a patriotic tradition, the son of revolutionary Nguyen Danh Doi.

From the early 1940s, his family moved to Hanoi to live. Therefore, his childhood was closely associated with the capital.

Although born in bombs and difficult years during the war, from a young age, People's Artist Trung Kien was given the conditions to develop his talent and pursue his passion for music.

During his childhood years, he participated in large choirs such as Green Youth and Dawn of the Department of Culture and Hanoi Youth Union. From these choirs, People's Artist Trung Kien's singing voice was soon honed in a regular manner.

After finishing 10th grade, People's Artist Trung Kien was facilitated by his family to take the entrance exam to the Vietnam School of Music (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music) and was a student in one of the first courses at the Conservatory of Music (course 3).

During the first three years of studying at the Conservatory of Music, People's Artist Trung Kien was methodically trained in singing and vocal skills in the traditional classical style. Thanks to that, he promoted and expanded his natural vocal range as a second tenor.

Not only that, People's Artist Trung Kien also learned a lot about music history and theory, to better understand vocal knowledge and music schools in the world. It can be said that during his three years studying at the Conservatory of Music, he accumulated a large amount of in-depth and academic knowledge.

Thanks to his good academic performance, in 1962, when he was a third-year student, People's Artist Trung Kien was sent to study in the Soviet Union (one of the cradles of classical vocal music training in the world).

The process of studying in the Soviet Union, under the guidance of famous instructors, helped People's Artist Trung Kien acquire new, more scholarly and in-depth knowledge about classical music. In particular, he received vocal training to sing classical music correctly, from how to build sounds, close voices, add resonance, release words, hold the breath column...

It is this knowledge that has become an invaluable asset for People's Artist Trung Kien to bring back home, write teaching textbooks, and apply them to the training of students at the Conservatory of Music for many generations to come.

After returning home, People's Artist Trung Kien joined the troupe, traveling around the battlefields to perform for soldiers and young volunteers.

Like many first generation People's Artists, People's Artist Trung Kien is not afraid of danger, is ready to sing over the sound of bombs and uses the battlefield as a place to practice his voice, to become stronger and more powerful. .

This is also the time of maturity both personally and vocally for the first batch of talented artists of Vietnamese Revolutionary music. Performing amid bombs and bullets without orchestra or microphones, the feelings of the soldiers are unforgettable in the hearts of the artists.

In April 1975, People's Artist Trung Kien returned to work at the Voice of Vietnam, recording songs celebrating victory with artist Quy Duong.

People's Artist Trung Kien can be considered one of the few artists who has achieved an illustrious career on both stage and research, teaching, and management. He completed his graduate studies in music in the Soviet Union and earned a doctorate. After many years of research and teaching, he is a rare singer who was awarded the title of Professor by the State.

From completing his graduate studies (in 1970) to becoming an actor at the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet, People's Artist Trung Kien has always performed and participated in teaching.

Working tirelessly, his musical career made great strides. In 1992, he assumed the position of Deputy Minister of Culture and Information, in charge of the Culture and Arts sector, and retired in 2001. And also in 2001, he was awarded the title of People's Artist.

Great teacher

As a rare vocal music professor, People's Artist Trung Kien has trained hundreds of generations of famous artists. The list of his students is immeasurably long, from famous banyan trees such as People's Artist Thu Hien, People's Artist Le Dung, People's Artist Trung Duc, People's Artist Thanh Hoa... to the class of highly academic singers like Lan Anh, Dang Duong, Trong Tan...

People's Artist Thu Hien recounted that that day, she had just returned from the battlefield and did not know a single note of music. She only sang according to her feelings for the song. But People's Artist Trung Kien spent 3 years teaching her even though she was completely into folk music, while People's Artist Trung Kien taught classical music.

The two genres of music are different, but People's Artist Trung Kien still diligently taught People's Artist Thu Hien from the technique of breathing, releasing words to even Russian, encouraging her little by little, instilling in her the fire of love for the profession.

People's Artist Thu Hien confided: "Aside from performing, we are also close brothers. At night, I still go to the teacher's house to ask for a bowl of rice and happily talk about our profession."

People's Artist Trung Kien once said that teaching is a way to give back to life but is also a job he is passionate about. Of course, the salary from teaching is not worth anything compared to the income from performing, but he does not bother to compare and calculate. He briefly said: "If I don't get taught now, I will probably die." With such idealism, he could be a great teacher for the rest of his life.

Quoc Trung, a "special student"

People's Artist Trung Kien is the teacher of many famous people, but few people know that he also has a "special student" who is his only son - musician Quoc Trung. Say "student", because from a young age, Quoc Trung was guided by his father to follow the path of music. During the subsidized and difficult economic times, he dared to invest heavily in a practice piano for his son.

Trung Kien is stricter with his son than with his students. Many people do not understand why Trung Kien spanked his son because he had an argument with his friend or definitely did not let him ride his motorbike to go out. It turns out he did everything to keep Quoc Trung's talented hands. Because of just one accident or injury, his son's dream of being an artist would be forever ruined.

Stepping out of the training of Trung Kien's father and Thanh Nga's mother's arms, Quoc Trung became a talented and respected person in society; At home, you can do everything yourself: cooking, washing dishes, sweeping the floor...

However, Trung Kien did not force his c.hild to do anything he did not like. In the past, he wanted Quoc Trung to follow classical music, but he liked light music and modern music. So Trung Kien and his wife followed their c.hild's wishes. Similarly, later, he had a premonition about his son's marriage but did not say it, just held his breath and watched from afar...

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