Handing over the donation to Mr.Triem
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ha Noi organized a Friendship Concert with Christmas Carols by the Hy Vong (Hope) Choir at the Residence of the Ambassador on 02 December 2018.
The Hy Vong (Hope) Choir is a 16-member group of visually-impaired singers and folk instrument musicians trained and performing under the guidance of Pianist Mr. Ton That Triem and his opera singer spouse, Ms. Nguyen Xuan Thanh. Mr. Triem formed the Hope Choir more than 10 years ago and has since been training the students to sing in many different languages.
The event was held also to coincide with the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities which falls on 03 December.
Welcoming the audience, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Vietnam Hasanthi U. Dissanayake recalled the fund-raising concert organized by the Embassy to assist the Hope Choir in March 2017 with the support of the diplomatic community and other organizations.
The Concert consisted of two parts. During the first part, the choir performed "Friendship Melodies" from all over the world in different languages such as English, French, Georgian, Swedish, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Irish, Vietnamese and Sinhala. In Sinhala, they sang “Nim Him Sewwa Ma Sasare” by late Maestro Pandith Amaradeva.
The second part of the Concert comprised of Christmas Carols in several languages including Sinhala. The Choir performed the famous Sri Lankan Christmas Carol “Ra Tharu Bebelenawa” of which lyrics and composition were by Rev. Father Mercelline Jayakody. The Ambassador also made a brief introduction about the song and Rev. Ffather Mercelline Jayakody.
More than 50 guests, including eminent Vietnamese nationals, Ambassadors, diplomats and expatriates in Viet Nam attended the event. At the end of the Concert, guests were treated to sumptuous Sri Lankan delicacies and Ceylon Tea.
