About this project

The Parts

Chirgilchin is a group of four musicians from a small Central Asian nation called Tuva.  Tuva has gained fame in the US for its unique musical export –throat singing – and Chirgilchin is considered to be the cream of the crop of today’s generation of throat singers.

www.chirgilchin.com

Lian Ensemble is based in Los Angeles, CA.  They are renowned for their blend of ancient Persian music and modern jazz influences.  They specialize in Sufi music, a devotional style of music often accompanying Sufi ceremonies.  Lian Ensemble is very respected in the current world music scene, and has long been a favorite of Western audiences.

www.lianrecords.com

Stephen Kent has been playing the didgeridu since 1981.  During his career, he has collaborated with artists like Zap Mama, Herbie Hancock, and legendary drummer John Densmore. Today, Stephen Kent performs around the US, and hosts his own World Music radio show on KPFA FM.

www.stephenkent.net

The Whole

Chirgilchin has had the opportunity to record and perform with both Stephen Kent and Lian Ensemble, but the three have never recorded together.  This project brings a unique opportunity to bring Chirgilchin, Stephen Kent, and Lian  Ensemble together for the first time.  The result will be a blend of three musical cultures from very distant parts of the world.  Kickstarter funds will allow the musicians to record and manufacture their first collaborative album.  The money will be used for transportation, studio time, mastering, and production.

Biographies

Igor Koshkendey

One of the best throat singers from Tuva, Igor sings six throat singing styles, including the unique Oidupaa style, which is used by only two singers - Igor and Oidupaa himself.  Igor was the Grand Prix winner of the 1998 International Competition of Throat Singing, the Grand Prix winner of the 2000 International Competition in Llangollen, England, and the winner of the 2002 International Competition in Kyzyl, Tuva.

Aidysmaa Koshkendey

Aidysmaa is a female vocalist specializing in the khomus (Tuvan mouth harp), tenchik (bells), long song, and percussion.  Aidysmaa was awarded Best Folk Singer in Tuva in 2007.

Mongoun-ool Ondar

At age 16, Mongoun-ool was the Grand Prix winner of the 1992 International Competition of Throat Singing.  He knows six throat singing styles and is close to inventing his own.  He is a member of Chirgilchin and Shu-De.  Mongoun-ool was a student of the legendary singer Oleg Kuular.

Aldar Tamdyn

Aldar was born in Chadaana, Tuva, and now lives in Kyzyl.  He is uniquely talented on the byzaanchy and morin-khuur.  He was a winner at the International Folk Music Festival in Tuva for Best Instrumentalist.  Currently, Aldar is the director of the Tuvan National Orchestra of Traditional Instruments.  Aldar is a very talented master craftsman of musical instruments.  He makes all of the instruments for Chirgilchin, as well as for other folk groups in Siberia.

Alexander Bapa

Alexander Bapa is a Tuvan artist, musician, and arts promoter. He is the founder of Huun-Huur-Tu (1991) and Chirgilchin (1995), two internationally renowned Tuvan Throat singing groups with numerous albums to their credit. In 1998, he started Pure Nature Music to promote the study and preservation of the cultures and arts of the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia. In his role as an arts promoter, Alexander has brought to the United States such diverse cultural groups as Oktay-The Russian Old Believers Childrens Choir, Tuvan shaman Ai-Churek, Elvel, a dance group form Kamchatka, throat singers from Khakassia and Altai, and Ordo Sakhna and Turan ensembles from Kyrgyzstan.  Alexander has 20 years of experience as a manager of groups in Europe and the US, and has produced more than 15 albums for various artists from Central Asia and Siberia.

Stephen Kent

Stephen Kent has traveled the world, living at various times in Africa, England, Spain, Australia and, for the last 20 years, The San Francisco Bay Area.  In Australia, in 1981, as Music Director of Circus Oz he first connected with Australian Aboriginal culture and the Didjeridu.  While he has always had great respect for Aboriginal people and their culture Stephen has never tried to imitate traditional styles on the Didjeridu. Instead he has pioneered his own unique style, with the Didj at the center of his many compositions in contemporary music. Past projects and collaborations of note include, Zap Mama, Habib Koite & Bamada,  Megadrums, Omar Sosa, Badi Assad, Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter, Steve Sheehan, Mino Cinelu, Michel Portal, Boukman Eksperyans,  and the legendary ex-Doors drummer, John Densmore, among many others.  He continues to perform all over the world.

Houman Pourmehdi

Houman Pourmehdi is a master percussionist, well known for his diverse abilities as a musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.His interest in the spiritual path of Sufis introduced him to the Ghaderi Sufi order's virtuoso Daf players, such as Haj Agha Sadeghi, Mirza Agha Ghosi, and Darvish Karim, with whom he studied the heart-to-heart traditional techniques of playing Daf. His knowledge of traditional repertoire and intimacy with Sufi world are made to serve a very personal style of interpretation in his compositions. He is the recipient of the Individual Artist Fellowship Award C.O.L.A. 2008, L.A. Treasures Awards 2004 & 2008, ACTA the Folk & Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative 2004 & 2006, and ACTA Apprenticeship Program 2003. In 1996 Houman has co-founded The Lian Ensemble. He currently lives in Los Angeles, and teaches Persian Percussion at California Institute of the Arts.

Pirayeh Pourafar

Pirayeh Pourafar is a composer whose compositions have been noted for innovative sophistication, thoughtfulness, and commanding technique. She entered the Royal National Music Conservatory of Teheran at the age of nine, where she started her studies with Masters Houshang Zarif, Habiboallah Sallehi, Mahmoud Karimi and Grand Master Ali Akbar-Khan Shahnazi. From these masters she learned the Radif of Persian Traditional Music.  She is known not only for her work in traditional Persian music, but also for her creative east-west fusion of composition and performance work.  In 1996 Pirayeh has co-founded The Lian Ensemble. In a versatile career as a concert musician, recording artist, composer and teacher, Pourafar has traveled and performed widely throughout the world.    

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