10 years of "pairing" with Ca tru

Following the introduction of Ta Hai Nam, Deputy Director of the district Centre for Culture, Information and Sports, we came to the house of Ong Thi Hoai, head of Yen Dung district Ca Tru Club.

Hoai and her granddaughter Thao Chi at a performance.

Born in 1956, Hoai had more than 30 years working in the education sector. As a literature teacher, with a love of art, during the years of teaching, she spent a lot of time to learn about the cultural and artistic traditions of the nation.

While it seemed that everything just stopped at a passion, a turning point came to Hoai. In 2009, Ca tru was added to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At the same time, Yen Dung district Ca Tru Club was established with the goal of restoring and preserving the traditional art of the nation.

Hoai recalled: "It took me only 5 minutes to think about registering to join the club."

Because at that time she already retired, she devoted her full of love to Ca tru and participated in most of the training classes hosted by the province. She vividly remembered training sessions by artisan Man in Lo Khe, Dong Anh (Hanoi). The dedication and responsibility of the artisan helped her to have a good start, thus gaining more faith and motivation to stick to Ca tru.

Many times, she traveled to Bac Giang city to watch members of the provincial Ca tru Club (located at the Cheo Theater) practicing and performing in order to learn and feel. With enthusiastic members such as Hoai, the Yen Dung district Ca Tru Club has maintained its activities effectively.

Preserving to make the heritage shining

A decade of "pairing" with and doting on Ca tru, songstress Ong Thi Hoai thinks that she must always respect, preserve and promote the value of Ca tru, thus helping the traditional cultural heritage increasingly shine.

She has always worked with the club’s management board to find ways to help the members to join performances. The presence of Ca tru repertoires performed by the club members at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Truc Lam Phuong Hoang Zen Monastery, Kem Pagoda, Ba Tong Communal House and Khanh Van Pagoda for many years has brought enjoyable experiences to visitors.

In addition to good Ca tru singing skills, Hoai is also very responsible and eager to learn. This is really a typical core member of the Ca tru Club on Phuong Hoang (Phoenix) land Meritorious Artist Quynh Mai (the Bac Giang Cheo Theater), head of the provincial Ca tru Club.

In addition, songstress Ong Thi Hoai has built the club into a united collective. She has arranged many programmes for the club to participate in Ca tru festivals organized by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, obtaining many high achievements. Most recently, at the provincial Ca tru and Quan ho festival in 2019, Yen Dung district Ca tru Club won the A Prize for the whole team. Hoai herself was also given an individual prize at this professional stage.

Hoai often mentioned her granddaughter Ong Ha Thao Chi. She is only 10 years old, but Thao Chi has had 6 years following her grandmother to practice and perform Ca tru. From a young age, Thao Chi was taught Ca tru by her grandmother and now she has mastered many melodies such as xam hue tinh, xam Song Thuong, bo ho, and chuc ho...

However, what Hoai concerns is that young people are still not interested in Ca Tru. “In addition to Thao Chi, currently the Yen Dung district Ca Tru Club has very few young members. This will greatly affect the conservation of Ca tru"- she said.

Therefore, she always hopes Ca tru will receive more attention from the culture, sports and tourism sector and local authorities. She also wishes that one day Ca tru will be present in the school environment, so that this type of folk art is increasingly widespread.

Bac Giang mobilizes resources to preserve, expand cultural atmosphere of Quan Ho and Ca Tru

(BGO)- The Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism (DCST) of Bac Giang province held a conference on 20 August themed “Preserving and promoting Quan Ho (love duet singing) and Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) in Bac Giang province” at the provincial Convention Center. This activity is included in the sequence of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Quan Ho and Ca Tru recognised by UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritages of humanity. 

Ca tru singing in Phuong Hoang land

(BGO) - "Ca tru (ceremonial singing) is very difficult, only those who love it and perseveres can follow this career. However, our club now gathers nearly 30 members”, Dang Thi Chan, former head of the Ca tru Club of Yen Dung district, Bac Giang province, excitedly told us.

Experts want digital archive for ceremonial singing

Folk music researchers support the creation of a digital archive of ca tru (ceremonial singing) owned by a State-run agency to preserve the traditional art form and gather scattered materials owned by individual artists and researchers.

Festival fuels hope for young and talented Ca Tru practitioners

The curtain came down on the 2018 National Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) Festival in Ha Tinh province. The four-day festival attracted nearly 300 artists and instrumentalists from 13 cities and provinces across the country. With an increased number of young artisans, the festival has fuelled the hope for a younger and talented generation of Ca Tru practitioners.

National Ca Tru Festival opens in Ha Tinh

More than 300 artists and instrumentalists from 13 cities and provinces are gathering at the National Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) Festival that kicked off on November 1 night in the central province of Ha Tinh. 

Quoc Truong