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12/20 Saturday
11:30 AM Yoga with Caroline
2:00 PM RESCHEDULED DUE TO SNOW!!!!! Alash: Masters of Tuvan Throat Singers
Ayan-ool Sam, Ayan Shirizhik, Bady-Dorzhu Ondar, Nachyn Choodu
Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this gifted young group from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit is decidedly Tuvan. The musicians were trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood. In 1999, as students at Kyzyl Arts College, they formed a traditional ensemble. At the same time they learned about western music, practiced on hybrid Tuvan-European instruments, and listened to new trends coming out of America. They are inspired by the music of their grandparents and the great Tuvan and Central Asian musicians, but also influenced by jazz and rock as they look for new ideas that mesh well with the sound and feel of traditional Tuvan music.
Alash collaborates with musicians of all stripes, from the avant-garde jazz Sun Ra Arkestra to the classical Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They appear as guest artists on a new CD by Grammy winning Béla Fleck & the Flecktones ("Jingle All the Way," released fall of 2008), and they will tour with the Flecktones this December. Yet they remain deeply committed to their own ancestral heritage, winning multiple awards for traditional throat singing in international xöömei competitions, both as an ensemble and as individual musicians.
Alash’s inaugural U.S. tour was sponsored in 2006 by the Open World Leadership program of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, they have returned to tour extensively, playing to enthusiastic audiences and presenting workshops to eager students of all ages. The Washington Post described their music as “utterly stunning,” quipping that after the performance “audience members picked their jaws up off the floor.”
The members of Alash are:
Nachyn Choodu: vocals, byzaanchy, chadagan. Kyzyl Arts College. First prize for best duo with his wife Shonchulai, 2008 Xöömei Symposium.
Bady-Dorzhu Ondar: vocals, igil, doshpuluur, guitar. Kyzyl Arts College. Best soloist, 2005 All-Russian
Festival of traditional ensembles and orchestras. Best in Maxim Dakpai xöömei competition, 2006. Named People’s Xöömeizhi, 2007. Grand prize, Üstüü-Xüree Festival, 2008.
Ayan-ool Sam: vocals, doshpuluur, chanzy, igil, guitar. Republic School of the Arts. Kyzyl Arts College.
Moscow State Pedagogical University. First prize, Üstüü-Xüree Festival, 2008.
Ayan Shirizhik: vocals, kengirge, shyngyrash, murgu, xomus. Kyzyl Arts College. Second prize, Üstüü-Xüree Festival, 2008.
Sean Quirk: interpreter and manager. Studied music in Tuva on a Fulbright fellowship. Named Merited Artist of Tuva, 2008.
Kongar-ool Ondar: Artistic Director. People’s Xöömeizhi. Known to Americans for his role in the film Genghis Blues, which chronicles Paul Pena’s musical odyssey to Tuva.
Tickets $15
7:00 PM EXILES
http://www.myspace.com/2exiles
10:00 PM Bell & the Bees
Local band Bell & the Bees blend folk, country, gospel, and classical influences into their delightful version of folk-pop. Their songs are narrative and visually engaging, inspired by nature, short stories & songs of old. Come enjoy a night of original tunes-peppered with a holiday favorite or two-at the Lily Pad tonight!
$5 cover