Today, we speak with Phuc Nguyen To Hoan, winner of the Award for Innovation in Music 2024, about this extraordinary performance. First, congratulations on winning the Award for Innovation in Music 2024! What an impressive performance! (If you want to know more about this event read this news item).
You’ve only been at Conservatorium Maastricht since September 2024 and are studying under Vykintas Baltakas. What has he, as a teacher, and the CM community taught you or brought to you so far?
I still remember our first conversation in September when Vykintas told me that as an artist, the decision of what to create and what music to compose was entirely up to me—no one else could determine that for me. That conversation truly transformed my perspective on becoming a composer. I now enjoy greater freedom in my creative journey, but with it comes a lot more responsibility. Our composition class is truly exceptional. It’s difficult to describe to anyone who hasn’t been part of it what a typical 7-8 hour class is like, filled with discussions, debates, presentations, and activities like the Listening Club and Instrumental Masterclass (and there are more, such as the Pitch Club and Composer Ensemble, on the way). Vykintas’s open-minded approach to teaching and studying suits me perfectly.
How are you finding life as a student in Maastricht?
At first, I was worried, especially about housing, but now I absolutely love Maastricht. The peaceful environment helps me focus better than the bustling energy of Ho Chi Minh City, where I lived before. The support from the conservatory's teachers and staff is inspiring, and my international friends motivate me daily with their openness and hard work. Being here has shown me the incredible potential for growth and learning.
Could you tell us more about what your project is about?
My work, "Suicide Crisis Line", combines electronic music, string quartet, movement, and VibeGrid—my self-made instrument. It centers around a fictional character named Olivia, inspired by Meggie Royer’s poem "The Morning After I Killed Myself." Olivia’s story explores the deep loneliness and weight of depression that led her to take her own life.
After her death, there’s a quiet awakening as she realizes the beauty she missed in everyday life. Simple joys like making a warm breakfast, walking her dog, smelling an orange, or spending time with her mother become precious moments that she can no longer experience. Through this story, I aim to use the theme of death to emphasize the value of being alive. I often find it easy to overlook this amidst the chaos of life, letting my worries about the past and future take over. Our performance received good feedback from the audience. Many people even shared that our performance was meaningful to them. That, for me, is success. I was fortunate to collaborate with many talented artists, including Lisa van der Looij as Olivia, Lucia Mas Leon and Tamamì Torsellini on violin, Aiden Lewis on viola, and Cèlia Roca Matamala on cello. I would like to express my gratitude to them for their talent and their important contribution to the performance.
What inspired you to create this project?
This year's AIM theme, Mortality, reminded me of a young friend who passed away. At that time, I was in a chaotic phase of my life, stuck in a job I didn't like and losing sight of what was truly important to me. His death shocked me and stirred something inside, making me realize how fortunate I am to be alive. It set off a series of decisions that led me to change my career path and pursue what truly matters to me. One of them is to become a music composer. With the theme of Mortality and my own experience, I want to express the value of life through the performance. I hope that if someone finds themselves awake this morning, able to walk on their own two feet, they would feel happy and take a moment to appreciate the most magnificent news: they are alive.
Innovation is a core aspect of this award .In what way does innovation play a role in your project?
In my performance, I combined electronic music, sound design, poetry reading, choreography, music for string quartet, not in the way that the music dominated the other elements, but in the way where every element was crucial to create a cohesive performance. In particular, I designed and created a unique instrument called VibeGrid for the dancer named Lisa van der Looij. The instrument is a dance floor which can record, process the sounds of the dancer moving on it, and transform that into music. With the VibeGrid, the dancer took on the dual role of performer and sound artist, enabling her to express herself through both movement and the sounds she produced.
Can you tell us how you came up with idea to create your own instrument, and how this process went?
I have a hobby of closing my eyes in random places to listen to the sounds people create around me—like footsteps on stairs, bicycles pedaling, or cups being placed on tables. I’ve discovered that these sounds carry the emotions of those who make them. Inspired by this, I wanted to develop a way for individuals to express themselves by generating sound through their movements and actions, and to combine this in a unified performance, a fusion between visual art and sound art. This is how the VibeGrid arose. It consists of piezo microphones that capture sound, which I mix and transform in real time using a DAW on my laptop. I interact with the dancer as they move, adjusting the sound accordingly. The VibeGrid is very large and heavy, and is made of expensive materials, making it challenging to transport. Thankfully, my friends were always there to help me throughout the creation and setup process. Aiden Lewis and Avery Chan especially helped me to decorate it by illustrating the poem "The Morning After I Killed Myself" on its surface.