The Tuvan throat singing ensemble Alash will start a one-month U.S. tour on July 17. Their first few days will be jam-packed with concerts and throat singing workshops at the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, NY, and at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. Other tour stops include the Lowell Folk Festival in Lowell, MA, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and many other venues along the East Coast between Vermont and the nation’s capital.
Alash member Ayan-ool Sam and manager/interpreter Sean Quirk came to the U.S. in advance of the tour to participate in the Roomful of Teeth project. They were among the first international experts invited to teach non-western vocal techniques to a group of professional singers trained in the classical western style.
The Roomful of Teeth project is sponsored by the Massachusetts Museum for Contemporary Art, and the residency was held at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Sam and Quirk welcomed the opportunity to share their unique vocal art with other professionals, and they are gratified by the increased interest in Tuvan music and culture in this country.
See www.alashensemble.com/performances.htm for the complete tour schedule.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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