Huế to develop city art spaces

THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — Authorities in the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế have plans to reserve public spaces around the municipal city of Huế for community art shows.

The local Department of Culture and Sports is working to free up spaces in the city around the streets of Phạm Ngũ Lão, Chu Văn An and Võ Thị Sáu.

The 3/2 Park, the square in front of the Quốc Học High School as well as the Huế Museum of Culture, and cultural centres around the province and the city will each have one space reserved for the shows.

The brand new foot bridge, which is due to open later this month, will host several places designated for community shows.

The selected places are those receiving frequent visits by both locals and tourists to the city. Authorities plan to facilitate rotating shows of different clubs according to a schedule at the most busy sites among the proposed places.

According to the department, offering spaces for community shows is an attempt to entertain visitors in the former imperial capital city as well as to grant respect to the artists.

The department will attract the involvement of the private sector in order to develop the spaces.

Võ Quê, head of a club of Ca Huế offering a free show once a week in the Museum of Culture, told Việt Nam News that his club would be part of the department’s plan. The club has put on its shows since 2013 and been praised for its quality of music.

Ca Huế is a variation of Huế royal court music and is considered a type of chamber music that originated from performances in the royal and mandarin houses during the imperial era. The lyrics are sometimes similar to Huế folk songs.

The art form is said to bear similarities to traditional Vietnamese music such as đờn ca tài tử (Southern folk music) and ca trù (ceremonial singing performed in the north). The music is played on traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, whilr the musicians and vocalists all wear the national long dress, áo dài. — VNS