Paul C. Nguyen

Bio

Born and raised in Vietnam, Paul Nguyen is bilingual and bicultural; he serves as a bridge between the first and second Vietnamese generations, as well as between the mainstream American liturgical musicians and their Vietnamese counterparts through his workshops, compositions and community-building events. He is a trilingual cantor, accompanist, choir director, composer, recording artist and workshop presenter. He has worked in various bilingual (English and Spanish) and trilingual (English, Spanish and Vietnamese) parishes for the Diocese of Orange in California, for nearly 20 years. His emphases in college were vocal performance and music education, as well as in business administration.

He served a three-year term on the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and is a long-time member of the Music Advisory Board for the Diocese of Orange. He has presented workshops for NPM, the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress and various dioceses around the country. He discusses best practices for different communities in a parish to come together for fellowship before worship, the unique gifts that Vietnamese-American Catholics have to offer and introductory musicianship for volunteer choirs. He also leads the workshop, Be Not Afraid: Vietnamese diction for non-Vietnamese speakers.