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FEATURES Huy Quang Tran Music is Huy's Divine Calling TEXT BY IVAN LIM Mar 6 2025 
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I often play the music of JK Mertz in my repertoire. I feel his music has a very unique style, and I understand his music deeply. It is a treasure where I feel safe and understood, so I have more confidence, and this is beneficial for my performances. As a youngster, Huy Quang Tran spent lots of time in a Catholic monastery where the monks helped him with his homework. His parents were hoping that the exposure to the clerics would encourage him to become a part of the Catholic clergy, but the monks turned him into a classical guitarist instead.
Well, not directly or deliberately, but we’ll leave Huy to explain how he came to his calling as a musician. “It’s not uncommon in our country for students to live in a monastery,” says Huy, who spent six months with the religious order when he was 12. “It was not for the purpose of becoming a monk, though. We went there to study in the evenings, stayed overnight, and woke up the next morning to go to school,” explains Huy. But didn’t your parents want you to… “Yes, they wanted me to be a monk, but I didn’t,” says Huy. But there was one particular room during his days in the monastery that was instrumental in shaping his destiny. “I still vividly remember the image of a row of guitars hanging in the music room next to the stairs leading to the bedroom. At that time, even though I didn’t know how to play, every time I passed by, I would swipe my hand across the strings to hear their sounds,” recalls Huy. It was a heavenly tone that stirred a yearning in his soul. “Each time I heard it, I’d wish I could master this instrument.” God moves in mysterious ways: Huy’s prayers were answered in the form of music lessons from the monks. “It was the monks who taught me my first musical notes. I learned recorder, mandolin, and a bit of guitar there,” says Huy, now 33. “Then, at the age of 19, I started studying music professionally.” The decision to pursue a career as a classical guitarist came after he emerged joint second in the Hanoi Open Guitar Competition. “I shared the second prize in a year when no first prize was awarded, in a competition that was regarded as the national guitar competition of Vietnam,” says Huy. After receiving the award, teachers and adjudicators at the competition remarked that he had the potential to become a guitarist. “I decided to follow that path because I trusted the teachers’ remarks,” says Huy. Which is why, instead of praying for us, he now plays for us. And with the support of his parents, too. Huy Quang Tran plays La Muerte del Angel by Astor Piazzolla
During his years of professional study at the Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music, he played pre-classical, classical, romantic and modern music, but lately, he has been focusing on works from the Romantic period onward, from JK Mertz to contemporary music. “I often play the music of JK Mertz in my repertoire,” says Huy. “I feel his music has a very unique style, and I understand his music deeply. It is a treasure where I feel safe and understood, so I have more confidence, and this is beneficial for my performances,” explains Huy, who listens to classical music performed on any instrument and not just the guitar. He also plays Vietnamese music arrangements on the classical guitar, such as ‘Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi’ and ‘Hát Hội Trăng Rằm. “Most recently, in 2022, I performed the piece ‘Mẹ Yêu Con’ by Nguyễn Văn Tý, arranged for guitar by Thai classical guitarist Pongpat Pongpradit.” PERFORMING “I usually take two to three months to prepare for a concert. I use various methods to prepare and always change them to avoid getting bored. The methods I often use are recording myself or performing in front of a group of friends. It’s difficult to perfect a piece by the first performance, so the more performances I have, the more refined the piece becomes,” says Huy. Huy performing Mẹ Yêu Con by Nguyễn Văn Tý, arranged by Pongpat Pongpradit
PLANNING A CONCERT PROGRAMME “For me, choosing solo pieces is very important. I often choose standard repertoire because I want everything to be fair and similar to everyone else, especially to be fair for my students. “Sometimes it can be very challenging to play well and succeed with iconic pieces, as many talented players have already performed them. However, playing these pieces well is still the duty of a professional musician. I want to learn from and succeed like renowned guitarists, as well as experience the journey through the pieces they have explored.” PLAYING IN A DUO AND ENSEMBLE Aside from being a solo artist, Huy plays in ensembles, and is one-half of the up-and-coming Southeast Asian duo. “This is another aspect where I can freely express my personality alongside my friends, with various instruments. I play in a few ensembles, ranging from two guitars, three guitars, and four guitars to larger groups, and I also collaborate with other instruments like the violin, flute, and even the piano, as a chamber group. “Working collaboratively creates a very different experience compared to playing solo, adding much joy to musical life – at least I no longer feel lonely on the big stage,” says Huy. And the challenges of playing in a group are different from those of being a solo performer. “Playing together is very challenging, from scheduling time to selecting pieces, then performing together and maintaining the momentum for future performances. That is a completely different story. In my opinion, if playing solo, the issue mainly lies in professional skills, but playing in an ensemble involves factors beyond just technical ability; it comes from real-life situations, such as what we will eat after the day’s rehearsal, who will bring the music stand, and who will bring the speakers and microphone,” explains Huy. 
Huy with Wadcharin Suksabsri
A WORD ON SAGOBAKO “I am part of a duo that I am very proud of for overcoming those challenges, and I’d like to introduce it to everyone: the Sagobako Guitar Duo. I play with Wadcharin Suksabsri from Bangkok, and I come from Saigon, so the group’s name is written as Sago-Bako, which represents Saigon and Bangkok. We have truly overcome geographical barriers to become a professional duo and have performed in concerts in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia in 2024,” Huy and SagoBako will perform in Singapore in 2025 but more of that later. SagoBako Guitar Duo perform Danza Espanola No 2 by Enrique Granados
TEACHING While maintaining a hectic performance schedule as a concert artist, Huy’s main work as a guitarist is as an instructor. He started off as a teaching assistant at the Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music in 2019 upon completion of his bachelor’s degree there and became an official member of the staff in 2022 after attaining his master’s degree. “For me, teaching brings two important things. First, it provides a fresh source of inspiration as I continuously research and acquire new knowledge. Second, it helps reinforce old knowledge; sometimes through teaching, I find that I understand more deeply the things I thought I already knew. Someone once said: teaching is like learning again,” says Huy. PRACTISING Huy considers practising as the most important thing in his life as a musician. And the million-dollar question: How much time does he take to practise? “What a typical question for a musician! I can answer in 10 different ways, depending on the situation and who is asking,” he responds candidly. “But I’ll answer that in the most honest way. Typically, I spend about two to three hours each day practising the guitar, which is the standard amount of time to maintain standards as a performer. (If you are a student reading this, please don’t follow my example – you’ll need more than four hours each day.) “However, during concert months, my colleagues often see me practising constantly in the studio. I make use of any free time, even if it is five to 10 minutes between classes, to practise. During a concert period, all my free time is dedicated to practice.” And no, he does not have a fixed routine. “Life isn’t easy for a musician: Every day is different!” he says in jest. “But I always find gaps throughout the day to decide whether I should bring my guitar along to practise before going out in the morning.” HIS GUITAR The guitar that Huy now uses – an instrument built by Belgian luthier Walter Verreydt – was recommended by his teacher. “He had been following the luthier since the Guitar Masters 2016 International Competition when Andres De Vitis won this competition with that guitar. He recommended it to me, and I immediately trusted him and bought it, even though I had never heard of Verreydt’s guitars before that. This guitar is probably the first one in Vietnam. It was a pleasant surprise because it truly suits me.” WHAT’S COOKING? While not playing the guitar, Huy, who is the only musician in his family, enjoys a good cup of coffee, swimming and cycling. And had the monks not steered him towards a career in music, he might have ended up working in a restaurant. So we’re grateful that divine intervention led him to the concert stage. “I would have become a chef,” explains Huy. “I don’t cook at home, but I’ve always admired professional chefs. Yan Can Cook was my favorite television show when I was a teenager.” Huy performs Melodia Uma de Noite by Silvestre Fonseca on Siccas Guitars
CADENCE I first came across this guitarist in a video by the world famous German guitar gallery, Siccas Guitars, in 2024. Weeks later, I had the pleasure of meeting him in Bangkok, when I was invited as artist and jury at the SEA [Southeast Asia] Guitar Festival and Performance Awards. While walking along the corridor of the hotel to head for dinner with the other artists and the organisers, I heard some beautiful music emanating from the room just three doors away from mine. The music was a duet version of Enrique Granados’ Danza Espanola No 2 and the playing was divine. I would be told later it was SagoBako – Huy’s guitar duo – and was introduced to them that evening. Huy believes Asian classical guitarists are becoming more significantly developed, musically and technically. “My generation has many people who study music in Europe and in the US, and continue to contribute to their communities,” says Huy. He feels that while the generation of Asian guitarists before him may have struggled with learning materials and knowledge, his generation probably faces challenges related to a lack of time – on account of distractions such as games and social networks. “The younger generation will undoubtedly have their own unique difficulties,” he says. With his proficiency as a musician and his devotion to teaching, Huy could be the divine voice calling that generation to the classical guitar. HUY’S AWARDS 2012: Second – Hanoi Open Guitar Competition 2013: Fourth – Altamira International Competition 2017: First – Saigon International Guitar Festival 2017: Second – Pattaya Classical Guitar Festival and Competition 2018: First – CGO (Classical Guitar Orchestra) Competition. Duo category 2018: Fourth – South East Asia Guitar Festival & Performance Awards 2019: First – Saigon International Guitar Festival & Competition with his quintet, “The Five” 2022: Third – Asia International Guitar Festival & Competition |