Phạm Thị Trân

{{Short description|Tenth century Vietnamese artist, opera singer and Mandarin}}

{{Expand Vietnamese|topic=bio| Phạm Thị Trân|date=January 2021}}

Phạm Thị Trân (926–976),{{Cite book |last1=Vượng |first1=Trần Quốc |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zgvYEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Pham+thi+Tran%22&pg=PP122 |title=Nghìn Xưa Văn Hiến: Trọn bộ 03 Tập |last2=Chi |first2=Nguyễn Từ |last3=Lũy |first3=Nguyễn Cao |last4=Thản |first4=Nguyễn |last5=Đản |first5=Nguyễn Trần |last6=StreetLib |publisher=NXB Kim Đồng |language=vi}} was a Vietnamese artist, dancer, opera singer and Mandarin during the Dinh Dynasty period.[http://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/Content/vi-to-hat-cheo-264215 Vị tổ hát chèo], Báo Bình Phước{{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Terry E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fh03DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Pham+thi+Tran%22&pg=PT721 |title=The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Volume 4: Southeast Asia |last2=Williams |first2=Sean |date=2017-09-25 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-54420-7 |language=en}}

Originally from Hong Chau in what is now the Hai Hung province, she was eventually invited to the royal court of the king, Dinh Tien.{{Cite book |last1=Tu |first1=Mai Thi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ef0JAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Pham+thi+Tran%22 |title=Women in Viet Nam |last2=Lê |first2=Thị Nhâm Tuyết |date=1978 |publisher=Foreign Languages Publishing House |language=en}} On the king's orders, she taught the arts to soldiers.{{Cite book |last=Phạm |first=Đình Nhân |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-PpHAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Pham+thi+Tran%22 |title=Danh tướng Phạm Tu và họ Phạm trong lịch sử |date=1999 |publisher=Văn hóa Thông tin |language=vi}}

She was a pioneer artist as an opera singer, and is referred to as the first professional theatre artist in Vietnam. Amongst her innovations, she is credited as the creator of chèo, which was a genre of popular theatre.{{Cite journal |last=Stock |first=Cheryl F. |date=December 1998 |title=Questions of gender and power in professional dance in Vietnam: A Western choreographer's perspective |url=https://eprints.qut.edu.au/398/ |journal=Brolga |language=en |issue=9 |pages=7–21}}{{Cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=Phong |date=1986 |title=Review of Einführung in die Musik Vietnams (Introduction to Vietnamese Music) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/834164 |journal=Asian Music |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=197–200 |doi=10.2307/834164 |jstor=834164 |issn=0044-9202|url-access=subscription }} She is also counted as the first woman to have been made a Mandarin in Vietnam.