Secret Garden chooses Vietnam as first destination of 30th anniversary world tour

THE HANOI TIMES — Secret Garden band, known worldwide for healing songs such as You raise me up and Nocturne, will perform in Vietnam within the framework of the international music project for the community Good Morning Vietnam organized by Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper and IB Group.

Scheduled for October 18, the liveshow will mark the first time the band has come to Vietnam to perform. Vietnam is also the first destination in the world tour celebrating 30 years of the legendary duo's career.

Launched in 2023, Good Morning Vietnam is an international music project initiated and organized annually for the community, with the mission of bringing world-class music to Vietnam and spreading the cultural and historical values ​​of the beautiful country of Vietnam to the world.

Two previous events that created a buzz were Kenny G Live in Vietnam (November 2023) opening the series of programs and Bond Live in Vietnam (October 2024) with all ticket sales going to charity.

According to Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, this event affirms the commitment of the newspaper and IB Group Vietnam to continuing their mission of bringing world art closer to Vietnamese audiences and supporting the community through meaningful voluntary activities.

After the concert, the Organizing Committee will continue to carry out activities to introduce the country's cultural and natural beauties to international audiences, thereby contributing to raising the image of Vietnam on the global cultural map, he said.

Concert general director Pham Hoang Nam said that all artists appearing in Good Morning Vietnam since the first edition perform instrumental music.

Inherently, instrumental music stimulates the imagination of the audience, he told a press briefing about the concert on September 19.

"The group's name Secret Garden is extremely evocative. We will bring a special, romantic stage, taking the audience into the secret garden with music and light. I believe that this will be one of the most beautiful stages of Secret Garden," Nam added.

The Organizing Committee has reserved the best and most modern conditions for sound and light for the concert, IB Group President Nguyen Thuy Duong said.

"The world-class modern sound system has been used by world-famous artists and bands such as Black Pink, Taylor Swift and Coldplay. It will surprise Secret Garden at the concert," he said.

The Secret Garden concert will feature nearly 30 artworks that made the band's reputation. The show is divided into three themes: nature and beautiful scenery, human relationships and culture.

Secret Garden is an Irish and Norwegian musician-artist duo consisting of Rolf Løvland (composer, pianist) and Fionnuala Sherry (violinist).

The group became known worldwide after winning the prestigious Eurovision 1995 song contest with Nocturne - a piece with almost no words but still conquered the audience with its chamber depth and expressive performance, opening up their unique New Age musical identity.

This victory paved the way for the duo to become the representative faces of the classical crossover genre.

Their debut album Songs from a Secret Garden (1996) quickly made an impact, going platinum in Norway and South Korea, staying on the Billboard New Age for 101 weeks.

Many of the album’s tracks also entered the cultural life of East Asia and art cinema - for example, Adagio sounded in the film 2046 by director Wong Kar-wai, showing the diffusion of chamber aesthetics beyond the traditional concert hall.

Entering 2025, the album was reissued to celebrate its 30th anniversary, affirming the relevance of the Secret Garden sound legacy to a new audience.

You raise me up (music: Rolf Løvland, lyrics: Brendan Graham) from Secret Garden became an inspirational song recorded by more than 100 artists - from Josh Groban to Westlife - and entered popular culture as an emotional choir for graduations, honors and moments that needed a boost.

Westlife’s version reached number one on the UK Singles Chart (2005), turning a melody that originated from a chamber project into a cultural phenomenon - a typical example of the ability to bridge the gap between chamber music and pop.

Secret Garden Live in Vietnam will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 18 at the National Convention Center in Tu Liem Ward, promising to be a night of music with many emotional levels on the stage of the capital Hanoi.