ARTIST: Urna Chahar-Tugchi
COUNTRY: Mongolia
GENRE: Mongolian Traditional music, Folk, World
MORE ABOUT: “Her voice reminds me of the whistling of the wind, the cold boldness of the stones, the burning heat of the sun. At once splashing like a waterfall, than tender as the moving wings of a butterfly – that is when you understand why Urna´s critics and audience say her Voice is like a large orchestra.” That is what a german critic felt, when he heard Urna Chahar-Tugchi performing for the first time.
Others describe Urna’s singing as akin to the experience of a religious ceremony — although her music does not necessarily speak of religion. She says: “I interpret my songs in all my energies with the variety of life experiences; therefore, I feel rebirth after each performance.” That is why one Russian music critic named her, along with the Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak, one of the “two Asian Divas”.
Urna Chahar-Tugchi was born into a family of livestock farmers in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Today she is being regarded as one of the most outstanding female vocalists of Asia. Urna continues to carry the spirit of her homeland in her music as she performs around the world. Urna’s developed her musical talent and instincts while learning the Yangqin, the Chinese dulcimer. After studying with a visiting professor from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, at the age of eighteen she decided to leave Mongolia to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music . It was an extraordinary decision – for at that time she did not speak a single word of Mandarin Chinese and her family knew very little of Shanghai, let alone its location.
With this move, Urna’s life and career took a dramatic turn. She decided to follow her voice, leaving the dulcimer and concentrating on the astonishing multitude of tone colours of her voice which has an outstanding extent of four Octaves. At the same time she tried to go further than the common methods of musical training. Blessed with this extraordinary voice, Urna is also gifted with the ability to genuinely communicate with her listeners through her music: she transcends all linguistic and cultural barriers with her dynamic, soaring voice.
Most of Urna’s songs evoke the immense grasslands of Mongolia and tell of the Mongolian ways of life. While being rooted in the traditional music of her homeland, Urna continues to take her music in new directions. Her latest compositions emphasize free, brushstroke-like improvisations, which have been inspired by her recent experiences with other cultures and musicians and her life outside of Mongolia.With this constant yearning to take her music beyond convention, Urna has performed with many internationally-renown musicians including the Hungarian violinist Zoltan Lantos, accordeon player Jerzy Bawol from Polish band Kroke, Ramesh Shotham from India, Inner Mongolian Morin Huur player Burintegus (Zhang Quansheng), Chinese sheng solist Wu Wei and Muhammad Reza Mortazavi and Saam Schlamminger from Central Asia and many other World, Folk and Jazz musicians. In the summer of 2003, Urna sealed her place as a major contributor to world music in Europe when she was awarded the RUTH prize in Germany for Best International Artist.
Urna’s latest recording, Amilal (Life), is a collaborative effort that features accompaniment from the highly acclaimed Zarb percussion masters from Iran, Djamchid Chemirani and Keyvan Chemirani. Completed in end of 2004, Amilal is Urna’s most personal record of her journeys after leaving Mongolia, and portrays her view of the world and mankind (or the human being).
Musically, Amilal is a departure from the focus of Urna’s past recordings, which center on the traditional songs, life and memories of her Mongolian childhood. With the new compositions on this recording, Urna maintains the dignity and the spirit of a Mongolian while embracing a newly-emerging identity as a “world citizen”. Amilal also features Urna’s frequent and close collaborator, violinist Zoltan Lantos. In 2008 Urna Chahar-Tugchi works with the Mongolian Morin Huur Ensemble in her film “Chinggisiin Hoyor Jagal” – The Two Horses of Genghis Khan, directed by Byambasuren Davva.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
- “Amilal” (2004)
- “Jamar” (2001)
- “Hödööd” (1999)
- “Crossing” (1997)
- “Tal Nutag” (1995)
SELECTED VIDEOS:
SELECTED PERFORMANCES:
- National Library of China Concert Hall, Beijing, China (2009)
- Du-C-Wuhan Popfestival, Wuhan, China (2009)
- Festival Voice of Nomad, Ulan Ude, Buryat (20090
- Festival Monasterio de Veruela, Zaragosa, Spain (2009)
- ZhongShanHall, Taipei, Taiwan (2008)
- Festival Sacred Music of Segovia, Spain (2008)
- Fundation Tres Culturas, Sevilla, Spain (2008)
- Jeonju Sori Festival, Jeonju, Republic of Korea (2007)
- Festival TransVOCALE, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany (2006)
- Festival Musica dei Popoli, Florence, Italy (2006)
- Festival della Valle dell’Oglio, Localita Villa Albera, Italy (2006)
- Sun Yat Sin Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan (2006)
- VII Festtival International Murcia Tres Culturas, Murcia, Spain (2006)
- GRASSI Museum fuer Voelkerkunde, Leipzig, Germany (2006)
- World Women Voices, Bern, Switzerland (2005)
- The Ramadan Night in Agadir, Marocco (2005)
- Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2005)
- Frauenstimmen, Frankfurt, Germany (2005)
- Fifth International Music Festival “Sharq Taronalari” Samarkand, Uzbekistan (2005)
- Stimmen Festival, Basel, Switzerland (2005)
- State Opera and Ballet Theater, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2005)
- Forum Barcelona 2004, Barcelona, Spain (2004)
- Women Voice Festival (with Chemirani Trio), Taipei, Taiwan (2004)
- Asian Music Festival, Chiaya, Taiwan (2004)
- Women Voice Festival, Istanbul, Turkey (2004)
- Sage of the Women Festival, Oberhausen, Germany (2004)
- Chaikowsky Hall, Moscow, Russia (2004)
- Folk im Schloss Festival, Bad Wildungen, Germany (2003)
- Riddu Riddu Festival, Norway (2003)
- ETNA Festival, Moscow, Russia (2003)
- Tanz und Folk Festival, Rudostadt, Germany (2003)
- Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA (2003)
- New Tradition Festival, Warsaw, Poland (2003)
- Chicago World Music Festival, Chicago, USA (2001)
- Lotus World Music Festival, Bloomington, USA (2001)
- Monterey World Music Festival, Monterey, USA (2001)
- Migration Music Festival, Taiwan (2001)
- Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2001)
- World Music Festival, Taipei, Taiwan (2001)
- Weltnachtfestival, Bielefeld, Germany (2001)
- Frick Fine Arts Center, Pittsburgh, USA (2000)
- Weltnachtfestival, Bielefeld, Germany (2000)
- Smithsonian Sackler Gallery Auditorium, Washington, USA (2000)
- Sfinks Festival, Beuchot, Belgium (1999)
- Masala Festival, Hannover, Germany (1999)
- Weltmusikfestival, Kassel, Germany (1999)
- Ken Music Festival, Tunisia (1999)
- Roots Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1999)
- Luxfestival, Echternach, Luxembourg (1999)
- Weltnachtfestival, Bielefeld, Germany (1999)
- Music Meeting, Nijmegen, The Netherlands (1998)
- Tanz und Folk Festival, Rudolstadt, Germany (1998)
- Festival van Vlaanderen, Belgium (1998)
- Virus Festival, Leek, The Netherlands (1998)
- Weltweit Musicfestival, Leipzig, Germany (1998)
- Folklorum Festival Kulturinsel, Einsiedel, Germany (1998)
- Ken Music Festival, Tunisia (1998)
- Zither II, Munich, Germany (1997)
- Multikulturelles Sommerfestival, Berlin Germany (1997)
- Masala Festival, Hannover, Germany (1997)
- Festival de Plectro, Logroño, Spain (1996)
- Masala Festival, Hannover, Germany (1996)
- World Music Festival, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1995)
- Jazzwoche, Hannover, Germany (1995)
- Jazzfest Beijing, Beijing, China (1994)
SONGS:
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