Deep in the center of Asia, yaks and reindeer graze beneath the glacier-capped Altai Mountains while camels and goats forage the fringes of the Gobi Desert. The Tuvan people who tend these herds have for centuries practiced a form of singing that allows one person to produce as many as four distinct tones at once, creating a sonic landscape as extreme and as beautiful as their surroundings. During the Soviet period, nomadism was discouraged and with it, the art of throat singing went into decline. In recent decades, singers have revived the art of harmonic throat singing. Alash is at the leading edge of this revival, bringing together a reverence for their nomadic traditions and a love of jazz and other modern music. Come see the “new old” Tuvan music that the Washington Post has called, “absolutely stunning.” To learn more about Alash and hear examples of the group’s music, visit alashensemble.com.
Presented by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, the Council of the Humanities, and the Freshman Seminars Program, the concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall on the University campus. Free and open to the public.
