Concert – “Cuc Cu Quartet”

Thurs 11 Dec 2008, 8pm
Hong Ha Theatre
51 Duong Thanh – Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

The Cuc Cu quartet was formed in the spring of 2007 and has had to cope with several changes of its composition. However their commitment and enthusiasm to play chamber music has remained strong! The members support the concept that playing chamber music is an excellent form of cross cultural communication, entertainment and relaxation. Practicing and performing music together, makes friends and enhances the exchange between the musical cultures of the East and West.

Programme

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

String Quartet in B-flat (published 1787)
Opus 50, no 1 (Hoboken III : 44)

1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto & Trio – Poco Allegretto
4. Finale – Vivace

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

String Quartet in B-flat, KV 458
Dated Vienna, 9 November 1784

1. Allegro vivace assai
2. Menuetto & Trio
3. Adagio
4. Allegro assai

After the concert the members of the quartet invite you for an informal drink in the hall to meet friends, colleagues and music lovers.

The quartet members:

Susan Regis was born in Canada but grew up in Japan where she began her violin studies at age 7, under strict supervision of the original instructors and developers of the Suzuki method. While a high school student in Tokyo, she studied with the (German) concert master of the Tokyo Symphony and began a journey out of the Suzuki method. She majored in Violin and Vocal Performance. Susan worked as a free-lance musician playing whatever came her way until she discovered jazz. She worked with various jazz quartets and trios in Italy as well as in Washington D.C. and played in a Baroque Trio. Until a few years ago she also taught the violin. At one stage her role as a mother took all her energies and she stopped playing the violin. Susan has only very recently joined the quartet and is so happy to be playing again if only for the sake of fun and enjoyment. For a musician, there is only one great love. Music!

Nicholas Booth was born in the United Kingdom in 1964 and started violin lessons at age 7, having already started learning the piano at age 5. He took up the viola at age 15. After his studies he practiced as a lawyer in New York and London until 2001, during which time he continued to play regularly with amateur chamber ensembles and orchestras. In 2001 he joined the UN as an advisor on Rule of Law development in Kosovo, moving to Hanoi in January 2008 where he now works for UNDP as a Policy Advisor on Rule of Law and Access to Justice. After a very positive experience playing Schumann with some Vietnamese and European musicians in April this year, he has joined the quartet with his characteristic energy and enthusiasm and is an active member of the amateur music-making community in Hanoi.

Nguyen Quoc Chanh was born in Hai Phong Harbor City in 1969. At the age of 9 years, he started cello lessons and consequently joined the Ha Noi Conservatoire. He graduated in 1994 and played for a year in the Vietnam Opera Orchestra and in many quartet formations. In 1996 he decided to work in the Vietnam Air Petrol Company. All those years he did not practice the cello. He is a talented ball room dancer and has been known for several years as an excellent tennis player, engaging in competitions almost every weekend. But early this year he decided to join the “Cuc Cu – Quartet”! He bought a nice instrument and now very much enjoys playing chamber music again.

Henri van den Hombergh was born in the Netherlands in 1953 and started violin lessons at age 10. During his general education and his studies as a medical doctor he has enjoyed this hobby and played in various amateur ensembles and orchestras. After his studies he chose to work in developing countries, and since 1985 he has worked in many countries in Africa. During his last assignment in Kenya, he become an active amateur musician again and joined the Nairobi Symphony Orchestra. During those seven years, he participated in over 10 concerts. Henri has worked for the last two years as GTZ-Chief Technical Advisor in the health sector of Vietnam. Since December 2006, he has been taking violin lessons again after more than 30 years of playing without supervision. This has enabled him to meet many Vietnamese musicians and found the amateur “Cuc Cu – Quartet” which gave its first formal successful concert in December 2007. He firmly believes that making music together is an ideal way to interact with the people and the culture of Vietnam.