Chau Tran
INAFA Intern
Biography:
Pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in music history, Chau Tran attends Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Newport News, Virginia.
Chau began her journey in music by singing in choir throughout high school. At the end of her senior year, she realized that she lacked passion for anything but music, so she decided to pursue a degree in choral music education. In her first year at CNU, Chau was introduced to a musical life beyond that of the typical classical world. After two semesters of The World's Music class with Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, Chau discovered a new world that proved to her that music, music education, and "good" music were not limited to Western art music.
Chau is a proud member of Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) Women's Music Fraternity. Some of her roles at CNU's SAI chapter included: President, Sergeant at Arms, and Philanthropies Chairman. In 2007, she was awarded the Sword of Honor for her dedication to the fraternity. Chau has also contributed to CNU's chapter of Collegiate Music Educator's National Conference (CMENC), was a member of the university's womens and chamber choirs, was one of the founders of CNU's first world music ensemble, Kongomana, and is a member of the CNU Honors Program.
Chau's interest in ethnomusicology and intense dream of one day being called an "ethnoid," has guided her to seek activities beyond the typical undergraduate music curriculum. In June 2005, Chau traveled to Ohio to study traditional Vietnamese music and culture with ethnomusicologists Dr. Phong Nguyen and Dr. Terry Miller, both experts on Vietnamese musics. There, she began her study of the dan tranh, a 16-string zither, and the dan nguyet, a moon lute. The following year, July 2006, Chau was afforded the opportunity to continue her study of Vietnamese music by traveling to north and central Vietnam with Dr. Phong Nguyen. The goal of this second research project was to observe the current state of both traditional and popular music in post-war Vietnam, as well as to continue her study of the zither and moon lute. INAFA intern Jake Hull accompanied Chau to Vietnam, and Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl was the advisor for both projects. Chau's research in Vietnamese music has been selected twice by CNU's undergraduate research council to present at Paideia, the university's annual research conference. Her first presentation was entitled "War Music in America and Vietnam circa 1965-1975," and her second presentation was "The Role of Music in the Rise of Nationalism and Communism in Vietnam." In addition to her research on Vietnamese music, in January 2007 Chau was selected by Dr. James Hines, an American musicologist, to conduct field work on music in America. The research included editing the music of the Moravians, as well as locating music played at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition.
Chau is very excited to be the new INAFA intern and is looking forward to expanding her experience with the Native American flute!