Ninh Duc Hoang Long (right) performs at the President’s Palace in Budapest. (Photo from Ninh Duc Hoang Long’s Facebook).

Long came out top in the 21-29 age range category in the Virtuozok Classical Talent Show 2018. He will compete in the grand final on June 8.

At the show, which is sponsored by Anita Herczegh, the wife of the Hungarian President, contestants compete in three age groups – children (born between 2002-2010), teens (born between 1997-2002) and adults (born between 1989-1997) – and can show off their skills and talents in front of a jury of professionals.

The new season premiere of Virtuosos was aired at the end of April. At the auditions for the various age groups, nine contestants were selected from each show. Eventually, three children, teens and adults made it to the finals, where the winners in each age group were announced.

And in the grand finale on June 8, the prize winner will be chosen by public votes to receive the title of Virtuosos of 2018.

At the final round at the end of May, Long performed two songs namely Romeo Cavatina from the play Romeo et Juliet by Charles Gounod and Mattinata by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

Audiences all over the world can vote for him by two ways. The first way is sending the message: LONG to phone number 36304422999. Each moble number can send up to 50 messages. The second way is downloading Mediaklikk Plusz on the mobile phone, log in by your Facebook account or Gmail; then click on "Szavaz" at the down right corner, click on Long’s photo and click on the blue button Szavaz. You can vote by this way every 20 minutes.

Vietnamese opera student Ninh Duc Hoang Long.

On April 29, Long won the first prize at the 10th International Jozsef Simandy Singing Competition. The 27-year-old has been called an "opera phenomenon" by Vietnamese experts.

In April 2016, Long won the first prize of category II (up to 26 years old) at the 9th Jozsef Simandy International Singing Contest held in Szeged City, Hungary.

In 2018, he won the first prize of category III (up to 36 years old) at the 9th József Simándy International Singing Competition. He had performed on various local stages in Hungary, Vietnam and Europe.

He already finished a Bachelor programme in 2017 and now studying the first years of Opera Master programme in Franz Liszt Academy of Music with Kossuth prize Opera Singer Kiss B. Atilla and Cseh Dalma.

Source: VNA