Classical guitarists to perform in Kohima on Dec 30

Three classical guitarists representing the musical minds of three cultures will be performing in Nagaland’s capital town, Kohima town, on December 30. Accomplished Vietnamese guitarist Thu Le, French classical protagonist Augustin Pesnon and Indian classical guitar teacher Zaren Mhabemo will be performing in the capital’s hangout Rattle & Hum Café on Monday at 3 pm. The travelling classical guitarists played their first gig to appreciative audience in Lotha Baptist Church in Dimapur on December 27 and in Wokha Town Baptist Church on the 29th. Rattle & Hum’s hangout will host their third performance in Nagaland before Thu Le, Augustin Pesnon and Zaren Mhabemo leave. Thu Le Thu Le is an accomplished Vietnamese classical guitarist who has notched international credentials in both applied musical academics and performance art. She graduated from Hanoi National Conservatory of Music in 2001. She learned the guitar at the age of four and by her 5th year, she had already delivered her first public performance. She has performed internationally – across Europe and Asia, with credits of performance with the National Symphony orchestra and the National Orchestra of Opera and Ballet. She has release four CDs including a full recital. The accomplished guitarist has a list of awards and prizes to her name including Holland’s Twents Guitar Festival Competition, Romania’s International Guitar festival and Competition, Asia International Guitar Competition, Calcutta International Guitar Festival and Vietnamese national guitar Competition. Many television and radio shows have feature the petite guitarist. The Vietnamese guitarist’s repertoire is extensive, from western classical to Flamenco, Latino to Spanish, and Indigenous strains from her homeland, Vietnam. Augustin Pesnon French classical guitarist Augustin Pesnon began studying the guitar at the age of 5 years. By nine, he had entered France’s Conservatoire A Rayonnement Departemental d’Evreux. He studied under Arnaud Dumond and Conservatoire a Rayonnment regional de Rennes’ Herve Merlin. In 2007, he won the first prize of International Music Competition that gave him the opportunity to tour Romania with the accomplished Concerto Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dorel Pascu-Radulescu. Following the win, he was accepted to the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, in the class of Alberto Ponce. Pesnon later won a scholarship to the Foundation Zygmunt Zaleski. Augustin Pesnon is a prize winner of many a national and international competition: The National Great Music Concours of Levallois, International Guitar Competition Young Talent, International Guitar Forum de Normandies, Bucarest International Music Competition, International Guitar Competition Magyar Zene Festival, Nordhorn International Guitar Competition, and the Thailand International Competition. The French guitarist performs as a soloist with diverse orchestras such as the Orchestre Regional de Normandie, Orchestre Symphonique Bel’Arte, and the Symphony Orchestra of National Music University of Bucarest, among others. Zaren Mhabemo Indian classical guitarist Zaren Mhabemo is from Wokha town, and currently a teaching faculty of Delhi School of Music and Theme Music Institute. A former student of Patkai Christian College, the guitarist could not have the opportunity of pursuing music academics initially. His early years were founded on self-taught skills in both theory and performance academics. His passion led him to learn the art from a guitar he made and even a violin he created. The fire to learn classical guitar would lead him to Patkai Christian College in Chumukedima where he honed his skills. Zaren Mhabemo completed his Grade-8 certification in classical guitar performance from Trinity College of Lon in 2008. He also pursued music studies under Vietnamese guitarist Thu Le in Delhi. He is currently pursuing certification in teaching and performance. The guitarist’s credentials include workshops, and a stint with the University Music and cultural Exchange in Seoul in South Korea organized by the United National Development Program in 2008. Likewise, he undertook the Korean National University of Arts’ ‘Dream Project’ this year.