Alash
Music to transport you to another dimension.
Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 pm
Wright Auditorium
Reserved seating at $36. Subscribe to the series and save!
Description
Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this gifted trio 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.
Alash first toured the U.S. under the sponsorship of the Open World Leadership program of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then they have returned many times, to the delight of American audiences. The Washington Post described their music as “utterly stunning,” quipping that after the performance “audience members picked their jaws up off the floor.”
Alash has released four CDs on their own: Alash Live at the Enchanted Garden (2006), Alash (2007), Buura (2011) and Achai (2015, re-released on Smithsonian Folkways in 2017).
Performance timing
Act I: Alash. Intermission. Act II: Alash with the Baltimore-based beatboxer Shodekeh.
Press
“When Alash sings, the world listens.” -Kalamazoo Gazette
“Sonic magic.” -Washington Post
ADDED EVENT
The Republic of Tuva: A lecture. Learn about the Republic of Tuva firsthand from tour manager/interpreter/Fulbright scholar Sean Quirk. Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 pm at the East Carolina Heart Institute auditorium (212 Heart Drive, off Arlington Blvd. in the medical district). Free to those holding Alash concert tickets. $5 for all others. Follow the purchase link on this page for tickets if you need them. Parking is abundant at ECHI for this event.
About the artists
Bady-Dorzhu Ondar: vocals, igil, guitar. Kyzyl Arts College, East Siberia State Academy of Culture and Art. 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, International Xöömei Symposium, 2008.
Ayan-ool Sam: vocals, doshpuluur, igil, guitar. Republic School of the Arts, Kyzyl Arts College, Moscow State Pedagogical University. First prize, International Xöömei Symposium, 2008. Named People’s Xöömeizhi, 2015.
Ayan Shirizhik: vocals, kengirge, shyngyrash, shoor, murgu, xomus. Kyzyl Arts College, East Siberia State Academy of Culture and Art. Second prize, International Xöömei Symposium, 2008. Named Distinguished Artist of Tuva, 2009.
Sean Quirk: interpreter and manager. Studied music in Tuva on a Fulbright fellowship. Named Distinguished Artist of Tuva, 2008.
Shodekeh is a professional beat boxer and vocal percussionist who has been performing and honing his craft since age nine. By channeling the aural concepts of various instruments and soundscapes, he’s able to vocalize the many dynamic emulations of everything from drum sets, synthesizers, turntables, congas, horns and bass guitars to ocean waves, sleigh bells, crickets and helicopters. He is the founding director of “Embody, A Music Series of the Vocal Arts,” which strives for artistic and cultural unity through the many vocal traditions from the world from opera, throat singing, to beat boxing. He currently serves as faculty/musical accompanist at Towson University’s Department of Dance and at Duke University’s American Dance Festival.
Video
Support
This residency is sponsored by the FRIENDS of the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series and by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org.
Venue information
Series
This event is a part of the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series. Founded in 1962, SRAPAS presents world-class touring artists to support the quality of life of all eastern North Carolinians.
Tickets
Buy tickets online or call 252-737-5444.