Viet Yen is the land of quan ho, and all villages have quan ho teams and traditional cheo (popular opera) troupes. Her hometown - Ke village, Quang Minh commune (now Quang Minh ward, Viet Yen township) is the same. At her young age, little Lan showed her talent and love for folk songs even though no one in her family is an artist.

The girl was affectionately called the “little robin”. Luckily at that time, Mai Lan was guided by her uncle to follow the path of professional singing by persuading her family to let her take the entrance exam to the provincial Intermediate School of Culture and Arts (now the Bac Giang Intermediate School of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

Then Mai Lan studied subjects to complete her high school curricular and was trained to become a professional cheo artist. After graduating from the intermediate school, she was accepted to work at the Bac Giang Cheo Theater under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has been engaged in performing cheo until now.

While working at the theater, she completed a university course opened in the province by the Hue Academy of Music. From both working and studying, practical experience and knowledge from school and books have helped her master performing techniques and excellently fulfill each assigned role.

Mai Lan shared “For an artist, in addition to natural qualities, he/she also needs to constantly learn and be properly trained. Fortunately, when I entered the school and started working at the theater, I received guidance and vocational training from master artists of Vietnamese cheo art like People's Artist Ta Quang Lam, Meritorious Artist Huong Que, Meritorious Artist Thanh Huong, and Meritorious Artist Quynh Mai".

After 20 years in her career, Mai Lan has reaped success through many roles. Among them, the role of Chau Long brought her a gold medal at the National Cheo Festival 2016. With the role of Thi Phuong in the National Cheo Young Talent Contest 2017, she was awarded a certificate of merit from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At the National Cheo Festival held in Bac Giang in 2019, she won another gold for the role of Ms. Mien in the play "the girl of Kinh Bac" staged by the Bac Giang Cheo Theater.

Thanks to her high, strong voice and good techniques, Mai Lan has an advantage when performing the main female roles in many plays.

A project on developing the Bac Giang Cheo Theater for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030 was launched by the provincial People's Committee with the goal of preserving and developing the traditional cheo theater art and other typical forms of folk arts bearing the characteristics of the culture of Kinh Bac - Bac Giang region.

The project organises art performances to serve political tasks and meet the needs for art enjoyment of people from all walks of life inside and outside the province.

With her responsibilities, she and her colleagues are engaging teaching cheo art to art nuclei and clubs at the grassroots level and at school theater classes under the project.

Meritorious Artist Mai Lan said the good news is that amid the rapid development and enormous influence of modern entertainment technology, the public in general and young people in particular still have great love for the traditional cheo art.

Kim Hieu

 

 

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Viet Yen launches traditional Quan Ho singing exchange

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Singer Dang Thi Nhung inspires love for Quan ho singing

BAC GIANG - Not born in the ancient Quan ho village, Dang Thi Nhung, 63, head of the Quan ho Club in Chang village, Viet Tien commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province is like a "living archive" of these folk songs.

Viet Yen launches traditional Quan Ho singing exchange

BAC GIANG - As part of a series of activities to mark the 60th Anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit and direction of the 1st Ha Bac Provincial Party Congress (October 17, 1963 - October 17, 2023), the male and female vocalists on both sides of the Cau River (belongs to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces) have recently organized a traditional Quan Ho (love duet) singing performance at the campus of the special national relic site Bo Da Pagoda in Tien Son commune. 

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