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Artists

Ho, Chi Khac (pronounced: Ho, Chee Kac)
is the world's premiere virtuoso on the Dan Bau (one string zither) as well as a composer and a music researcher. Chi's innovative developments on the dan bau have been heard in concerts throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Chi attended the National School of Music, studying Dan Bau and traditional music theory with many of Vietnam's top performers and instructors. His education included the music of China, Korea, Indian and Europe, as well as a number of years of field studies in rural Vietnam. In 1977, the Department of Culture chose Chi as one of four people to train for five years as advanced instructors in theory, composition, conducting, and performance. During this training, they were sent to Tashkent in Uzbekistan to study conducting and traditional music instruction.

Upon completing this training, Chi became one of the first masters' instructors in the new Department of Traditional Music at Hanoi National Conservatory(formerly the National Music School). Chi became the Assistant Head of the Department in 1987 and took on the duties as conductor of the Conservatory's acclaimed Traditional Music Orchestra.

Chi was presented with many awards in both composition and performance, including: First Prize in the 1982 Vietnam Competition of Professional Instrumentalists, the Golden Award at the1985 International Folk Festival of World Youth in Moscow, and First Prize in the government's annual Improvement of Traditional Instruments of Vietnam in 1988.

Came to Vancouver, Canada in 1992, Chi has teached Vietnamese instruments at the University of British Columbia, and continues to perform internationally with his ensemble.

Hoang, Bic Ngoc (pronounced: wong, ngoc bic)
is an exceptional vocalist, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. She specializes on the dan bau and a number of very rare instruments from Vietnam’s rural and mountainous regions including the t’rung (bamboo xylophone), k’longput (percussion tubles), and ko ni. Bic has toured internationally both as a solo artist and with the Khac Chi Ensemble.

Bic began studying music at a very early age attending the Hanoi School of Arts. Then she entered the Hanoi National Conservatory in 1979. Bic was fortunate to study under a number of Vietnam’s top performers and received numerous invitations to perform with many of Vietnam’s most prestigious musical ensembles. It was during this period that she began her career as a regular performer and arranger for National and international radio and television. She graduated with honors from the Hanoi conservatory of Music in 1987, and returned to the Hanoi School of Arts as an instructor.

Although teaching full time, Bic remained an active performer, and was the first woman to receive the First Prize for dan bau in the 1988 Vietnam Competition of Professional Instrumentalists. In 1989, she won the Golden Award at International Folk Festival of World Youth 13th in North Korea, and she also credited with being the first woman to perform on the Koni.

Since moving to Canada in 1992, Bic has teached Vietnamese music, instruments at the University of British Columbia. She has been expanding her musical repertoire by performing with a number of World Music and New Music artists, and performing works by Canadian contemporary composers.