Paths Are ManyTruth Is One
← Back to all artists
Portrait of Alash EnsembleJohanna Kovitz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Artist profile

Alash Ensemble

Shamanism · Tuvan Throat Singing

Tuvan throat-singing ensemble from Kyzyl, trained in the strictest forms of the tradition as students of the master singer Kongar-ool Ondar. They sing khöömei and play the traditional instruments of Tuva, and they tour internationally with a full concert schedule while keeping the music in the shape they were taught it.

ShamanismRussia
View upcoming events →Watch talksVisit site ↗
✓This profile is compiled from publicly available sources. Some details (video length, full event calendars) could not be independently confirmed and should be verified before relying on them.
About the artist

Alash Ensemble

Tuvan throat-singing ensemble from Kyzyl, trained in the strictest forms of the tradition as students of the master singer Kongar-ool Ondar. They sing khöömei and play the traditional instruments of Tuva, and they tour internationally with a full concert schedule while keeping the music in the shape they were taught it.

Upcoming events

Meet Alash Ensemble in person.

Talks, day programmes and retreats currently listed in the Paths Are Many calendar.

No upcoming events are currently listed.

Talks & videos

Watch before you attend.

Short introductions and longer conversations, to hear this artist in their own words.

No talks are published yet.

Path

The wider context.

⟡
Nature & ritual

Shamanism

Ritual, connection with nature and symbolic journeys within living traditions.

Explore the path →
Explore further

Related artists.

View all artists →
Portrait of Sainkho Namtchylak
Shamanism

Sainkho Namtchylak

Tuvan singer born in 1957 near the Mongolian border, with a range spanning some seven octaves. Her grandmother taught her the overtone singing that Tuvan custom reserved for men, and she went on to study the shamanic traditions of her region. She sings that inheritance into avant-garde jazz, Siberian folklore and Buddhist material, and is one of very few women to carry Tuvan throat singing to an international audience.

Portrait of Huun-Huur-Tu
Shamanism

Huun-Huur-Tu

Tuvan throat-singing ensemble from southern Siberia, formed in 1992 and the best-known carriers of Tuvan music beyond their own republic. Their khöömei draws several notes from a single voice and imitates the sounds of the land it comes from, wind, water and animals, a practice bound up with addressing the spirit-masters of those places. They play the traditional instruments of Tuva, among them the igil and the tungur, the shaman's drum.

Portrait of Robert Mirabal
Shamanism

Robert Mirabal

Musician, flute maker and flute player of Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, born in 1966. He was raised in the tradition, speaks Tiwa, lives and works at the pueblo and takes part in its ceremonial life. His performances weave the flute and song of his people together with storytelling and dance, and he has won a Grammy for best Native American music album.

Portrait of Mari Boine
Shamanism

Mari Boine

Sámi singer from Karasjok in northern Norway, born in 1956, and the best-known voice of the joik. A joik does not describe its subject but calls a person, animal, place or spirit into presence, and it grew out of a Sámi understanding of the world as kin rather than scenery. Christian authorities banned the practice for close to three hundred years, and Boine is among those who brought it back into the open. She sings it alongside jazz, rock and other forms without letting go of what it is.

Monthly selection

Stay connected with our newsletter.

Receive new talks, upcoming events and thoughtful editorial selections in one monthly email.