Alash Ensemble, master throat singers from Tuva, a tiny republic in Siberia, located at the geo-graphical center of the Eurasian continent, return to Arkansas with a concert scheduled for 7:00pm on Thursday, October 23rd at Ozarka College in Mountain View.
The ancient art of throat singing, by which a single singer produces multiple notes simultaneously, was developed among the nomadic herdsmen of the region. Alash are virtuosi of this amazing vocal technique who accompany themselves on a variety of fascinating instruments from their homeland. They were a crowd favorite when in Arkansas in the fall of 2013.
“Wow! The Alash Ensemble’s concert was incredible, and pretty much defies description. The music was like a Spiritual experience. I felt like I was out of my body several times. It was transcendent, beyond borders, beyond language, beyond cultures. It felt like an old ancient experience from another life. Yet it was so familiar.”
Attendee of the September 2013 Alash Ensemble concert
In addition to performing traditional music of their native Tuva, they have collaborated with such diverse groups as the bluegrass/fusion/jazz band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, the jazz ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra, and the classical Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Student Producers Program. Their recordings include Buura (recorded in Nashville during a previous American tour) and Alash. They are guest artists on the Grammy-winning holiday CD Jingle All the Way by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.
The Arkansas Craft School presents this concert to promote exploration, innovation appreciation for diversity in the arts. Admission to the event is $15 if paid in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Arkansas Craft School at (870) 269-8397.
The Arkansas Craft School, located on Main Street in Mountain View, Arkansas is dedicated to the education of aspiring and practicing craft artisans for success in the creative economy. The Arkansas Craft School partners with Ozarka College, which offers Continuing Education credits for all of its courses. Support for the Arkansas Craft School is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment of the Arts.
