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| Nguyen Huynh Thai Binh regularly performs with the Brass Orchestra |
Although he was born into a family where no one is in the arts, since childhood, Thai Binh has had a great love for music. Since grade 6, Thai Binh has had access to the Western brass and joined the church brass band. Binh was then an "amateur" in brass.
Being a hip-hop enthusiast, who loved the vibrant rap, Binh was fascinated by the sound of Western brass concertos and the initial impression of the hymn orchestra. He always devoted himself to Western brass practice sessions, and in his free time, he also turned on the CD of brass concertos and immersed himself in that type of music.
The first type of brass Binh used was baritone, a Western type of brass that was easy to approach and suitable for his physique. As "amateurs", he and his friends learned music and practiced breathing on their own. At that time, his relatives, who saw him loved saxophone, still thought that he played just for fun and entertainment in his free time, but it was difficult for him to choose it as a career. Obeying his parents, he chose to study tourism to enter life.
At the time of COVID-19's appearance, he had more free time and took the opportunity to learn more about Western types of brass. This was also the time when Thai Binh seriously tried alto saxophone and was completely conquered. The melodious sound of the saxophone became the sound associated with him with a youthful and intense love and helped him overcome the stormy COVID-19 season.
Graduating right at the time of the pandemic and the stagnant tourism industry, Thai Binh decided to seriously talk to his mother, who had always worried about "the child suffering" because of music, therefore, did not let him pursue an artistic career, about his intention to enter life through music. He asked his mother to prove himself within 2 years to see "what he could do from this job".
Binh's father is a music lover, but because of his bread and butter, he misses his passion. He also quietly encouraged his wife to accept his son's choice. With his parents' consent, in 2019, Thai Binh studied intermediate music at Hue Academy of Music, officially escaping the word "amateur" when receiving formal training. That was also the time when he got a friend's invitation to join the Hue Brass Orchestra, performing everywhere with musician Le Quang Vu, head of the Brass Orchestra, and other Western brass enthusiasts in Hue. Also from these performances, Binh's ability to play the trumpet has become more and more mature.
In 2022, Binh started to get invitations to perform saxophone solos. When receiving remuneration after his first solo performance, Thai Binh was filled with happiness because he had never thought he could make money from the brass sound, from his passion for art. This was also the time when Binh proved to his family that he was right in choosing to pursue music and was determined to follow a professional path.
In late 2022, Nguyen Huynh Thai Binh made an appearance at the Winter Reunion program, the first big stage he participated in. But it was not until 2023, within the framework of the Academy's Community Music Science project, that family and friends truly witnessed Thai Binh with his passion on stage.
He shared, "That night, I used the saxophone my mother gave me to perform, and the performance moved her. Since then, my mother, who didn’t want me to choose music as a career, has truly trusted and respected my passion."
In terms of music, Thai Binh has two teachers who lead and help him. Teacher Tran Quang Yen at Hue Academy of Music teaches Binh expertise, and teacher Le Quang Vu of Brass Orchestra instructs him in theory, background knowledge, and core knowledge of music.
Talking about Thai Binh, musician Le Quang Vu confided, "In the beginning, Binh was very timid, weak in playing trumpet and reading plus playing music at the same time, but he has the qualities of a performer. He tried to learn by himself from books, websites, and from teachers and friends. Whenever he performed with the Brass Orchestra, Binh always respected the exercises and listened to the teacher to harmonize with the orchestra.”
Those qualities have helped Thai Binh change a lot: developing well in skills, performance style, and trumpet sound. Commenting on Binh’s playing solo, teacher Vu said that Thai Binh's sound "expresses enthusiasm passionately; the tone is sweet and gentle, sometimes a bit fancy...". The artistry of a saxophonist is increasingly evident in the young man's brass sound.
Finalizing the intermediate program ahead of schedule, Binh continues to pursue a regular university program. As a second-year student at the Hue Academy of Music, he is working on a project for his music product. As a son of Hue, he always desires to introduce his homeland to audiences outside the province and abroad. Setting the goal of finalizing the project at graduation, Thai Binh is determined to create saxophone solo melodies about the beauty and people of Hue, leaving his musical imprint on the musical river of the Ancient Capital.