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‘Sacred Songs of
Tibet’ (Sounds from Heaven)
by Kelsang Chukie
Tethong accompanied by Tsewang
Choeden & Pheruk Lhakp
 Buddhist
parables through song from the 12th century vividly illustrate
thangka paintings to help the audience understand the teachings.
Street songs are also a traditional form of expression particularly
popular as a means of political and other commentary and are a good
example of a bardic tradition, akin to that in medieval Europe.
Tibetan singers are particularly known for their strong vocal
abilities, which many attribute to the high altitudes of the Tibetan
Plateau.
Chukie brings to us this evening the strong traditions of her
country which she has never visited. She was born in Nepal and
raised in a musical family. Both she and her sister were chosen to
join the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharmsala.
After studying there for 11 years she became an acclaimed solo
singer but decided to run a restaurant in Nepal and in Holland for
the next nine years.
However
after her first live concert in Holland in 1996, she has taken up
music full time and has performed solo in several live concerts in
five countries in Europe as well as in Canada, Taiwan, Korea, Japan,
Malaysia, Mexico and the U.S. She sang at the two Freedom Concerts
organized by Milarepa Fund in New York in 1997 and in Washington,
D.C., in 1998.In the same year, Chukie with her sister, Namgyal
Lhamo, and friend, Topden Gyatso, founded the group Gangchenpa. The
groups first recorded CD, Voices from Tibet, was released in 2000.
She performed at many important Tibetan functions including the
celebration of the 60th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s
enthronement ceremony, in Dharmsala and the 50th Anniversary of His
Assuming Temporal authority.
friday
5th march at 8.00 pm
“Music
for Meditation” – A flute recital by Nawang Khechog
This is the background to Nawang
Khechog’s music. It is not music just for entertainment. It is the
music of the soul. It is the music of a monk who lived for 11 years
as a hermit mediator under the direct spiritual guidance of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama. It is the music borne “of long, deep
practice with natural acoustic genius to create hauntingly beautiful
compositions that mix earthy Tibetan chants with ethereal horns”
This evening Nawang performs his
original Tibetan spiritual music, including numbers from his latest
release ‘Tibetan Meditation Music’ which charted # 9 on Billboard
and won Best Music of the year and Best world music from ‘Visionary
Awards” (Denver, 2008). He will also perform from his new
documentary film “Sounds of Tibet”
Nawang occupies a singular place
in the Tibetan diaspora, as Dharma teacher, performer, practioner,
as freedom fighter, documentary film maker and as the Michael Jordan
of meditation. He fled Tibet at the age of 6 in 1959, studied and
grew up and became a monk in India and since 1985 a musician and
unofficial Musical Ambassador of Tibet to the western world. He aims
to utilize music as a means to inspire non violence, compassion and
spirituality and for the freedom of the Tibetan people. He has
produced five albums and co produced albums with Kitaro, Peter Kater,
R.Carlos Nakai (Native American Flutist), William Eaton ( designer
of great Guitars) and Will Clipman (percussionist) They were
nominated for the Grammy, Nammy (Native American music), ‘Record of
the Year’, and ‘The Best Group of the Year’
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