History

Home / ABOUT US / History
VIETNAMESE AMERICAN PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

VAP History

The Vietnamese American Philharmonic is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 by a group of Vietnamese American musicians and music lovers in Orange County. Led by Music Director Hong Khanh Nguyen, VAP has been the resident orchestra of the Rose Center Theater for over a decade. Since its formation nearly 25 years ago VAP has been the largest Vietnamese orchestra in the United States and recognized as an outstanding ensemble within the Vietnamese American communities of Westminster in Orange County and San Jose in Silicon Valley.
With the purpose of promoting and maintaining the musical arts, primarily orchestral and chamber music, VAP has sponsored many concerts presenting Vietnamese and Western classical music. VAP organizes several orchestra groups, including the Children Orchestra, Youth Chamber Orchestra, and the Vietnamese American Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
Following the VAP Symphony Orchestra’s debut in April of 1995 at the Ebell Theater in Santa Ana, VAP has held performances at various theaters and venues in California, including the Rose Center, Carpenter Performing Arts Center, La Mirada Theater, and Foothill College Theater. VAP puts on more than three concerts per year and reaches thousands of residents in the community, from children to seniors.