The Huy, the photocopy boy who went to Australia to study opera

The photocopier of opera artist Thế Huy when he was young was probably the "most special machine in the world" because at one point it was "magically" transformed into a piano with hand-drawn keys stuck on the machine.

Tenor Thế Huy at first glance appears quite shy compared to a young artist with a big goal in mind: joining Australia's leading opera house after graduating with a degree in opera from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

LOOKING FOR A SOULMATE

In just 3 years, Huy has quietly but resolutely sought out his audience with nearly 20 recital performances (before 20-50 audiences, then increased to 100-200 audiences in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi), ranging from classical music to Vietnamese chamber music. The most recent was To be sung is to be seen (June 2025) - a recital of classic opera excerpts, marking Huy's 10-year journey pursuing classical music, counting from the milestone of studying at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music.

Tenor The Huy (Sydney Opera House)

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY CHARACTER

Previously, Huy's other recitals also chose delicate and unique ideas, quietly infiltrating the so-called "niche market" in the midst of a bustling showbiz: Pho cua em cua anh (November 2024): recital of Vietnamese chamber art songs; Dam mo mot giac Trang Chu (April 2024): classical vocal recital combined with Han Nom literary materials, Hat nhu noi (August 2023): workshop on technique and emotion in vocal music; Chiec co nghia, Xanh xa nang nhau (2022 and 2023): recitals of songs by musician Trinh Cong Son; Winter Recital (December 2022): chamber music night with works themed on winter, including works in Vietnamese and foreign languages; Tam xa - tinh gan (March 2022): one-person opera night with classical works translated into Vietnamese...

Thế Huy was a student representing the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music to compete and perform at the 2019 Chicago International Music Festival held in the US. Within the framework of the event, he also studied vocal performance with American professor and artist Chris Thompson. After 8 years of studying at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, Huy persistently applied for a scholarship to the US to study at the world's leading opera training centers, but his first dream was crushed by the Covid-19 pandemic. After that, he turned to Australia.

Imitation is... the precursor to creativity

Huy's parents divorced when he was only 3 years old. Huy's mother, a poor housewife, took her two children from An Giang to Ho Chi Minh City to earn a living.

The biggest asset in the house and also the "bread and butter" of the three of them is the photocopy machine in front of the rented house. At the age of 6, Huy stood by the machine every day to help his mother collect every penny to contribute to the market meals of the three of them. "I have been "diseased" with neatness since I was a child. Ever since I stood by the photocopy machine, I always tried to dress neatly and cleanly so that people would not know I was poor, because people used to think that only those with good conditions could go to music school...", the tenor of the Sydney Conservatory of Music recalled.

Huy's father was a construction contractor but had an amateurish streak, often playing the guitar enthusiastically at the drinking table. That "strange streak" was unexpectedly passed on to his young son, even though he had to leave his father at a young age. The poor single mother did not have the money to send her son to church for free music lessons, so she sent him to church to learn music for free, then played music for the church choir. One day, Huy asked his father for some money to take an organ course to "improve his skills". But unfortunately, he did not have the money to buy an instrument. He was forced to think of a "unique" way to practice the instrument: drawing a black and white piano key and sticking it loosely on the photocopier to... play it and imagine the sound of the instrument in his imagination. Every time he heard his mother come home, Huy quickly took off the "key" and hid it so that his mother could not see it. "My mother has worked so hard, how can she understand a "luxury" dream like music, when she doesn't even have the money to learn music or buy an instrument?" Huy said sadly.

The Huy performs in the recital To be sung is to be seen , June 2025 in Hanoi

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY CHARACTER

The most beautiful day of Huy's childhood was the day his father gave him money to buy an old organ. The path to the conservatory began to form in the boy's mind as a photocopier. However, his family advised him not to go that way, because "doing that won't make money". But in the end, Huy still set foot in that "no money" place. And at least, very early on, he won a scholarship, even though he didn't have a natural voice.

To be recognized as a tenor, for Huy, it was a lot of hard work. "When I was at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, most of the teachers assumed I was a bass, only I knew I was definitely a tenor. When I went to the US to compete in singing, they told me: "Oh, you are exactly a tenor, what's there to worry about!" And for the past 10 years, I have been persistently practicing my voice to reach the threshold where I feel I belong," The Huy shared.

Of the nearly 20 recitals that Huy has worked hard to produce over the past 3 years, there are 2 dedicated to Trinh Cong Son's music. Huy said that there is a line of Trinh's music that haunts him: "While we return, we miss each other" (A realm of going and returning) . When he was young, he went back and forth between a place with his father and a place with his mother, between his peaceful hometown of An Giang and the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh City. And now, he goes back and forth between Australia and Vietnam. Huy easily falls in love with songs and musical pieces that inspire him about "returning".

The boy who worked at the photocopier back then said: "If there is anything in common between the photocopier profession and... opera, it is first of all... the ability to imitate. You have to imitate well before you can be creative."

Taking a stubborn path to conquer a dream, "for me, it's also a Zhuang Zhou dream. Becoming a butterfly to fly far, even if I have to start with small flaps of wings," said the tenor from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/the-huy-cau-be-photocopy-den-uc-hoc-opera-185250716212255108.htm