GLOWING MONDAY WITH LEE KIRBY – A TRINH-MUSIC-SINGING BRITISHMAN.
Over these past few years, a lot of new faces - specifically foreign artists who have passion for Vietnamese music – have appeared on online music sites. What all these men share is their appreciation for Trinh Cong Son’s music. And one of them is Lee Kirby, who became popular for his cover of “Diem xua” and “Cat bui”. On the 25th of November, Amsers had the pleasure of joining Lee in a music exchange show. With the soft melodious sound of guitar playing in the background, Lee shared his stories about the time he had spent in Vietnam and in his hometown - England.
With the aim of fostering the students’ love for English culture (which is incredibly diverse and colorful) to encourage their interest in learning foreign languages, on November 25th, a music exchange event was held at the 700-seat auditorium. And what better ways of bringing the British culture to life than enjoying music and stories from a British man himself?
Lee (he called himself) told the students lovely stories about faraway England, about the people and its climate (which is not nearly as cold as we had thought). His stories became even more special when an Amser was mentioned - the one who brought the name “Hanoi Amsterdam High school” to Lee, the one who brought Lee to our school. The stories were about what he had experienced in Vietnam, and through these stories, we realized his burning love for our S-shaped nation and our lovely people.
Lee sharing his stories
And when he began singing Vietnamese songs, the whole auditorium was in awe, surprise and pride.
Opening the mini-show with the sweet tune of “Loi yeu thuong” accompanied by a romantic guitar melody, Lee went on amazing the audience: not only could he sing fluently in Vietnamese, he could also translate those songs into English. After “Diem xua” by Trinh Cong Son - a song which made Lee Kirby well-known, he wholeheartedly sang “Nong nan Hanoi” and ended the show with a brilliant mash-up of “Tim lai” and “Apologize”. But the song that was most charming was Lee’s English version of “Ca nha thuong nhau”.
True! No languages could easily bond people like music. Even though the show lasted only for one hour and a half, it was enough for the audience to enjoy English and Vietnamese culture mixed together for a spectacular show that would forever remain in their heart.
And it was also short enough; enough to leave our student wanting more, enough for the start of a week.
Reporter: Nguyen Chi Mai (A1 13-16)
Translator: Phung Gia Nhu (Geo 13-16)
