A Platform for Ethnically and Culturally Inspired Music
ABOUT
Song Lua Trio, with Khanh Nguyen, Diethard Krause, and Tri Nguyen, is the encounter of three passionate artists, three different musical universes, three virtuosos in their respective instruments and fields, but with the same dedication: music. Song Lua Trio is a beautiful and astonishing blend of Vietnamese and European sounds, ranging from ancestral, classical, jazz, to funk influences.
Khanh and Diethard have performed together for more than 15 years with the Lao Xao Trio (1st Prize Creole World Music Germany 2011 and RUTH Sponsorship Prize 2013). The two musicians came in contact with Tri Nguyen on social media after they respectively released their debut albums; “Upon Tree Da” for Lao Xao Trio and “Consonnances” for Tri Nguyen. Their first contact was sparked by instant chemistry, and all three traveled to Vietnam for a University Tour in Ho Chi Minh City.
The three musicians later decided to form the Song Lua Trio, literally meaning “River of Silk” in Vietnamese, and started a 2-week tour in Germany in October 2020. The tour was greeted by the audience with enthusiasm and warmth. The German press unanimously reviewed the group with praise and encouragement.
“Every single tone is a celebration” - Gabriele M. Knoll
“Like soft and cool silk on the skin” - B. Heumüller, Glocke Gütersloh 2020
“Music like a soft flowing river” - B. Heumüller, Glocke Gütersloh 2020
“Sound emulsion from the Red River to Europe” - Klangkosmos 2020
Khanh Nguyen was born in Koblenz, Germany. The singer, musician, and music teacher studied jazz/rock/pop, voice, and piano at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden with, among others, Céline Rudolph, Janis Deyda-Teubert, Esther Kaiser, Nadia Maria Ollig, Thomas Groß, Ilka Kraske, and Jens Wagner. She sang the main role of Princess Oanh in "Sons of Dragons and Feentöchter" by Karsten Gundermann (direction: Julia Haebler, 2014) at the Mannheim Theater. She is the composer of the music for “Fischer und Frau”, a co-production of the TIG-theater young generation Dresden - with the Goethe-Institut Vietnam and the State Youth Theater Hanoi (director: Dominik Günther, 2016). Since 2005, she has been the singer of the Lao Xao Trio, bringing Vietnamese musical traditions together with influences from Western musical genres.
With the Song Lua Trio, she sings and plays percussion.
Khanh is based in Berlin, Germany.
Diethard Krause studied cello and viola da gamba in Dresden and Rostock and has worked as a cellist with the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2014, having held positions with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chemnitz Opera. As a gambist, Diethard Krause was a guest artist at the Semperoper Dresden, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, and Collegium 1704. In 2015, he was a finalist at the International Bach Abel Competition in Köthen. On the baroque cello, he has worked with orchestras such as the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra, the Saxon Vocal Ensemble, and the Batzdorfer Hofkapelle. Since 2005, Diethard Krause has been a founding member of the Lao Xao Trio, which brings Vietnamese musical traditions to music with influences from Western musical styles.
With the Song Lua Trio, he plays the viola da gamba and the dan-bau (Vietnamese monochord).
Diethard is based in Dresden, Germany.
Tri Nguyen began studying classical piano at age five and a half in Vietnam with French-trained teachers. After graduation from the Music Conservatory of Saigon, he continued his studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with great teachers such as Jacques Lagarde, himself a former student of Marguerite Long and Clara Haskil; then Ramzi Yassa, concert virtuoso trained in Moscow, with whom he discovered the great Russian school.
Born into an aristocratic family in South Vietnam strongly attached to its ancestral culture, his parents, though French-educated but extremely traditional, believed that studying the piano was not enough for his musical education, and found an old zither master with whom he began to study the instrument. Zither Master Hai Bieu proved to be one of the last musicians belonging to the old school of Vietnamese music.
Tri’s multicultural education has allowed him to navigate with ease between classical Western music and that of Ancestral Vietnamese traditions. This brought him to release his debut album “Consonnances” in 2014, fusing the dan-tranh with a classical string quartet. Songlines Magazine quoted: “In Zither Master Tri Nguyen, Vietnam has a fine ambassador.”
Encouraged by the success of Consonnances, Tri Nguyen has since released three other albums and four EP/singles, fusing the dan-tranh with other musical traditions such as the Scottish bagpipes, Corsican Polyphonic singers, African percussion, the Arabian oud, the Weissenborn guitar, etc. Many of his albums and singles have received prestigious awards such as the GMA/USA (Global Music Award) 2015 & 2017; the IMA/New York (Independent Music Awards) 2020; the OWMA/UK (One World Music Radio Awards) 2021, and have made their way to the first ballot at the 2018/2019/2020 and 2021 Grammy Awards. He has collaborated with prominent producers, artists, singers, instrumentalists from around the world, many of which are Grammy Award Winners. Always eager to discover more, Tri’s next single, due for August 2021, presents the dan-tranh accompanied by a complex arrangement of electronic music. His 5th album is in the making and perhaps will see the day in 2022.
With the Song Lua Trio, he plays the dan-tranh/Vietnamese zither.
Tri Nguyen is a Celebrated Judge at the GMA and Voting Member of the Academy-Grammy Awards/NARAS.
Tri is based in Paris, France but travels frequently to Vietnam and around the world for his concerts.
Khanh and Diethard have performed together for more than 15 years with the Lao Xao Trio (1st Prize Creole World Music Germany 2011 and RUTH Sponsorship Prize 2013). The two musicians came in contact with Tri Nguyen on social media after they respectively released their debut albums; “Upon Tree Da” for Lao Xao Trio and “Consonnances” for Tri Nguyen. Their first contact was sparked by instant chemistry, and all three traveled to Vietnam for a University Tour in Ho Chi Minh City.
The three musicians later decided to form the Song Lua Trio, literally meaning “River of Silk” in Vietnamese, and started a 2-week tour in Germany in October 2020. The tour was greeted by the audience with enthusiasm and warmth. The German press unanimously reviewed the group with praise and encouragement.
“Every single tone is a celebration” - Gabriele M. Knoll
“Like soft and cool silk on the skin” - B. Heumüller, Glocke Gütersloh 2020
“Music like a soft flowing river” - B. Heumüller, Glocke Gütersloh 2020
“Sound emulsion from the Red River to Europe” - Klangkosmos 2020
Khanh Nguyen was born in Koblenz, Germany. The singer, musician, and music teacher studied jazz/rock/pop, voice, and piano at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden with, among others, Céline Rudolph, Janis Deyda-Teubert, Esther Kaiser, Nadia Maria Ollig, Thomas Groß, Ilka Kraske, and Jens Wagner. She sang the main role of Princess Oanh in "Sons of Dragons and Feentöchter" by Karsten Gundermann (direction: Julia Haebler, 2014) at the Mannheim Theater. She is the composer of the music for “Fischer und Frau”, a co-production of the TIG-theater young generation Dresden - with the Goethe-Institut Vietnam and the State Youth Theater Hanoi (director: Dominik Günther, 2016). Since 2005, she has been the singer of the Lao Xao Trio, bringing Vietnamese musical traditions together with influences from Western musical genres.
With the Song Lua Trio, she sings and plays percussion.
Khanh is based in Berlin, Germany.
Diethard Krause studied cello and viola da gamba in Dresden and Rostock and has worked as a cellist with the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2014, having held positions with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chemnitz Opera. As a gambist, Diethard Krause was a guest artist at the Semperoper Dresden, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, and Collegium 1704. In 2015, he was a finalist at the International Bach Abel Competition in Köthen. On the baroque cello, he has worked with orchestras such as the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra, the Saxon Vocal Ensemble, and the Batzdorfer Hofkapelle. Since 2005, Diethard Krause has been a founding member of the Lao Xao Trio, which brings Vietnamese musical traditions to music with influences from Western musical styles.
With the Song Lua Trio, he plays the viola da gamba and the dan-bau (Vietnamese monochord).
Diethard is based in Dresden, Germany.
Tri Nguyen began studying classical piano at age five and a half in Vietnam with French-trained teachers. After graduation from the Music Conservatory of Saigon, he continued his studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with great teachers such as Jacques Lagarde, himself a former student of Marguerite Long and Clara Haskil; then Ramzi Yassa, concert virtuoso trained in Moscow, with whom he discovered the great Russian school.
Born into an aristocratic family in South Vietnam strongly attached to its ancestral culture, his parents, though French-educated but extremely traditional, believed that studying the piano was not enough for his musical education, and found an old zither master with whom he began to study the instrument. Zither Master Hai Bieu proved to be one of the last musicians belonging to the old school of Vietnamese music.
Tri’s multicultural education has allowed him to navigate with ease between classical Western music and that of Ancestral Vietnamese traditions. This brought him to release his debut album “Consonnances” in 2014, fusing the dan-tranh with a classical string quartet. Songlines Magazine quoted: “In Zither Master Tri Nguyen, Vietnam has a fine ambassador.”
Encouraged by the success of Consonnances, Tri Nguyen has since released three other albums and four EP/singles, fusing the dan-tranh with other musical traditions such as the Scottish bagpipes, Corsican Polyphonic singers, African percussion, the Arabian oud, the Weissenborn guitar, etc. Many of his albums and singles have received prestigious awards such as the GMA/USA (Global Music Award) 2015 & 2017; the IMA/New York (Independent Music Awards) 2020; the OWMA/UK (One World Music Radio Awards) 2021, and have made their way to the first ballot at the 2018/2019/2020 and 2021 Grammy Awards. He has collaborated with prominent producers, artists, singers, instrumentalists from around the world, many of which are Grammy Award Winners. Always eager to discover more, Tri’s next single, due for August 2021, presents the dan-tranh accompanied by a complex arrangement of electronic music. His 5th album is in the making and perhaps will see the day in 2022.
With the Song Lua Trio, he plays the dan-tranh/Vietnamese zither.
Tri Nguyen is a Celebrated Judge at the GMA and Voting Member of the Academy-Grammy Awards/NARAS.
Tri is based in Paris, France but travels frequently to Vietnam and around the world for his concerts.
