The Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Society is encouraging friends and supporters to contribute to a Gofundme campaign named after a recently deceased Vancouver musician. Composer and multi-instrumentalist Bic Hoang was a world-class dan bau player. Her funeral service was held in Vancouver earlier this month.
The society’s former president, actor Thai-Hoa Le, is organizing the fundraiser to benefit her family. Her full name was Hoang Ngoc Bich, but she was known professionally as Bic Hoang.
Bich and her husband, Ho Khac Chi, have been among a tiny group who could play the dan bau at the highest level in Canada. A third is Montreal multi-instrumentalist Huu Bac Quach. He expressed great admiration for the couple in an interview last year with Pancouver.
The dan bau is a single-string monochord zither. It’s one of several rare instruments played in Vietnam’s rural and mountainous regions, according to Bich’s Linkedin page.
“Without her guidance and unwavering support, the Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Society (SEACHS) would not have achieved the successes and growth we celebrate today,” the society noted. “Mrs. Ngoc Bich’s legacy as a musician, mentor, and advocate will forever inspire and guide us.”
Watch Bic Hoang’s solo performance of “Lullaby” at the 2011 LunarFest celebrations.
Bic Hoang collaborated with many orchestras
The Gofundme page says that Bich performed in 25 countries as a soloist and with her ensemble, Khac Chi Bamboo Music. She also taught at the VSO School of Music.
“Her collaborations extended to world-class ensembles, including the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (Latvia), Prague Modern Ensemble (Czech Republic), National Traditional Orchestra of Vietnam (Vietnam), World Traditional Instrument Orchestra (Philippines), Little Giant Chinese Music Orchestra (Taiwan), Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Orchid Ensemble, and Silk Road Music (Canada),” the Gofundme page states.
In 2018, Bic Hoang performed her composition, “Dance in a Dream”, with the Allegra Chamber Orchestra. The concert was held to celebrate International Women’s Day.
For more information on the Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Society, visit its website. Follow Pancouver on X (formerly Twitter) @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
