Check Out Kayla Tran’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Tran.

Hi Kayla, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group was founded by Professors Châu Nguyễn and Mai Nguyễn in 1988. We are a non-profit organization that specializes in the presentation of traditional Vietnamese vocal and instrumental music, having traveled all over the world to showcase our art through performance and educational workshops. Our program emphasizes that music is universal and should be accessible to all people regardless of age or background. Our students and educators at Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group strive to preserve, develop and reinvent traditional Vietnamese arts outside of Vietnam to blend a new way of life as Asian Americans while maintaining our cultural roots.

Both Professors Châu and Mai were refugees who came to America for a chance at a better life with their families after the Vietnam War. They built their lives in Little Saigon, CA and devoted the following years to establishing a performing arts group in the heart of their new home. For 38 years, they transcended the Vietnamese American community, educating and inspiring over three generations of students not only through music, but through lessons of compassion, resilience, and pride in cultural identity.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Traditional art is, overall, a dying art form that is no longer widely sought. We deeply empathize with fellow traditional art organizations, both within and beyond the Vietnamese community. Many have come and gone due to a lack of resources and support. We could spend days dissecting the issues that threaten the survival of traditional arts – the rise of electronic music, AI generative art, global recession, politics and the list goes on. Together, these forces have pushed our art form into a space more niche than it has ever been, challenging its visibility and future in an increasingly modern world. It’s something I think about everyday of my life. Deep down, I’ve always felt that despite doing everything in our power to serve our community, it may not have been enough.

The wave of the 2020 pandemic brought immense hardship to small businesses and community organizations alike. For Lạc Hồng, the challenges extended far beyond mask mandates or social distancing. We were stripped of our ability to perform live music and connect with our community through the arts – the core that kept our organization alive and relevant. For the first time in Lạc Hồng’s history, we were facing a scare that could put a close to our organization.

A step I never thought I would ever be worthy of taking, I took with fear as Professors Châu and Mai entrusted me with the role of Youth Ensemble Director to help guide Lac Hong through this period of uncertainty. In 2021, alongside 13 dedicated youth ensemble members, we returned to the community with the goal of reintroducing live music and face to face interaction. We curated an educational workshop to teach young students about our instruments, demonstrating that traditional arts and music education are far more accessible than many believe. Through these workshops, we provide tools to help students bridge gaps in communication and understanding with their parents and grandparents. Above all, we empower them to explore their identity and use their cultural heritage as a means of self-expression and connection to the emotional and physical world around them.

Over the past five years, we have brought our educational workshops to ten K–12 schools and seven junior colleges and universities across Southern California on an annual basis. Our youth ensemble has performed on some of the largest stages, including the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Disneyland, NBC Hollywood, and Riot Games Inc. We have grown our youth ensemble to more than 25 members, ranging from middle school students to post-college young adults. Our student volunteer program has expanded to include over 12 members and now features a newly established subgroup of talented visual artists who showcase Vietnamese visual arts through our events and social media platforms.
Our leadership team is committed to providing professional development opportunities that prepare all students for success beyond the arts. These opportunities include training in public speaking, presentation, interviewing, resume building and self-advocacy. Our goal extends beyond cultivating skilled musicians and artists. We strive to develop confident, well-rounded individuals who are ready to meet challenges with ambition and passion. When the world asks them to jump, they respond by asking, “How high?”

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For as long as I can remember, music has been the driving force behind everything I do. I began my musical journey at the age of 8 in Little Saigon, CA. I often share with others how fortunate I feel – fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time, surrounded by people who gave me the opportunity to learn, grow, and become who I am today.

I am an American-born Vietnamese woman who speaks, reads, and writes Vietnamese fluently without ever having set foot in Vietnam. I play more than 10 musical instruments and have the ability to connect meaningfully with both the youth and older generation through my music and dialogue. Despite growing up in a predominantly low-income community, I pushed beyond the limitations placed around me and graduated college at the top of my class. I represent a multifaceted image of the Asian American experience – driven, resourceful, and unyielding – always striving for more and creating abundance from very little.

I live a dual life, and I am proud to say it reflects the best of both worlds. By day, I work in property management at Essex Property Trust, where I challenge myself professionally beyond the realm of music, practicing the same discipline and growth mindset I encourage in my students. Outside of work, I immerse myself in arts admin: arranging music for the ensemble, booking performances, networking, teaching, mentoring my young leaders and always thinking about the next step. At times, I “girl boss a little too close to the sun,” setting my sights on goals like a Grammy nomination, international performances, or even writing my next TED Talk.
In moments I can steal for myself, I’m in the studio recording đàn tranh for my varied passion projects alongside other artists, going on walks with my girls, enjoying tasty food with my partner and everything a musician needs to do to be the best version of themselves.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
A great professor of mine always said, “It’s not what the rules are, but what they ought to be.”

I was raised in a strict, traditional environment. Much of my life has been spent learning how to honor and protect those values. Many believe tradition is not meant to be questioned or changed, and I, too, was nurtured to be a rule follower. Yet somewhere within me, there was always a quiet fire flickering, waiting for its moment to flame.

At times, I closed my eyes and imagined a world of music that was non existent. A pitch-perfect balance between Eastern and Western music combined. The idea was complex and unfamiliar, something I could neither fully articulate nor express at the time. I was young and inexperienced, but deeply hopeful that one day those visions might come to life.

As I grew more confident in my role as Youth Ensemble Director, I began sharing these ideas with my elders and mentors. I spoke about how this “new era” of music could redefine our organization and how it could create work that resonated beyond the Vietnamese community, music that students would feel proud to share with their friends, teachers, and families alike. These conversations were not easy. I had been raised to honor tradition and follow the guidance of those before me, and my ideas were met with hesitation, criticism, and often, disapproval.

Through it all, one person consistently believed in me: Professor Châu. He trusted my vision and gave me the opportunity to bring it to the stage. In 2024, that trust came to fruition with With Love, a program that merged rock music with traditional Vietnamese instruments through performance and storytelling. The production explored themes of love from multiple perspectives, with the hope of bridging generational gaps, fostering empathy, and introducing a new musical language that could be enjoyed by all.

Since then, our connection to the community has grown stronger than ever. Our performances have reached thousands through social media, leaving lasting impressions and creating music that audiences remember and seek out again and again. In moments of reflection, I return to the words that continue to guide me: it’s not what the rules are, but what they ought to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lachongarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lachongarts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lachongarts/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/l%E1%BA%A1c-h%E1%BB%93ng-performing-arts-group/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/lachongarts

Image Credits
Vincent Tran