Vietnamese Do Tri Dung, who was crowned at Do Re Mi, a singing contest for children held by the national Vietnam Television Station every September, joined well-known Australian artists to perform at a concert held in Melbourne last week that celebrated the upcoming Christmas holiday.
At the event, titled “Carols by Twilight” at Federation Square on December 17, Dung, who had only one week to learn the English songs, successfully performed the popular song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” together with 60 members of the Children's Orchestra from the local Hello Music Land Club, and the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in a duet with a young girl from the club named Alexandrea Pantos.
The 8-year-old boy also sang two songs in Vietnamese, including “Em Be Que” (The Kid from the Countryside), and “Dung Sy Dau Bo Toreado” (Toreado Song), the song which helped him rise to fame at the Do re Mi contest.
The concert, which was held to raise funds for the local Life's Little Treasures Foundation to support premature and sick babies around the country, also featured famous Australian singers including Alison Rae Jones, Caroline Vercoe, Wylie J. Miller, Tammy Ari, and the rock band Synthetic Beast.
Dung, a young boy of Muong ethnicity from the mountainous northern province of Yen Bai, has fascinated thousands of Australians with his cute and emotional voice, as well as his enthusiasm.
Karren Kim, founder of the Hello Music Land Club called Dung an absolute talent.
“This touching voice must go far,” said Tami, who was the voice teacher of Thanh Bui, a Vietnamese – Australian singer who finished in the top eight in Australian Idol 2008, and was also amazed after meeting him.
“This touching voice must go far,” said Tami, who was the voice teacher of Thanh Bui, a Vietnamese – Australian singer who finished in the top eight in Australian Idol 2008, and was also amazed after meeting Dung.
Dung said he was surprised by the love the Vietnamese community in Australia showed him and felt happy receiving gifts from them.
In 2011, Dung won the second prize at the children singing competition “Tieng Hat Hoa Mi Yen Bai” (Yen Bai’s Mavis Voice) before becoming the first boy to win the Do Re Mi contest, which was first held in 2006.
Print
