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- A Journey through Tibetan Music
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- The Tibet Connection
"There was a sense of 'What's the big deal about these old traditions? That's what we lost. That's what made us lose our country.' When we were trying to play this incredible traditional music, people were not interested. It wasn't cool. Being an artist was not cool."
Don't know your dramyin from your piwong? You will after listening to this interview with Techung--a Tibetan singer/songwriter living in exile in the San Francisco Bay Area. Techung is regarded as one of the key keepers of the flame of traditional Tibetan musical traditions, yet he is also known for mixing traditional and modern musical forms. His dual goals are to revive Tibetan music in the Tibetan community and to expose the rich performing cultural tradition of his homeland to the world community. In this interview, he takes us on a journey through Tibetan music, both traditional and modern. Rebecca Novick began by asking Techung about the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India, where he began his training.
Techung's voice and music have been featured on numerous movie soundtracks, and his album 'Compilation of Tibetan Folk and Freedom Songs' won the 2006 Just Plain Folks Best Asian Album award.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
"There was a sense of 'What's the big deal about these old traditions? That's what we lost. That's what made us lose our country.' When we were trying to play this incredible traditional music, people were not interested. It wasn't cool. Being an artist was not cool." Don't know your dramyin from your piwong? You will after listening to this interview with Techung--a Tibetan singer/songwriter living in exile in the San Francisco Bay Area. Techung is regarded as one of the key keepers of the flame of traditional Tibetan musical traditions, yet he is also known for mixing traditional and modern musical forms. His dual goals are to revive Tibetan music in the Tibetan community and to expose the rich performing cultural tradition of his homeland to the world community. In this interview, he takes us on a journey through Tibetan music, both traditional and modern. Rebecca Novick began by asking Techung about the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India, where he began his training. Techung's voice and music have been featured on numerous movie soundtracks, and his album 'Compilation of Tibetan Folk and Freedom Songs' won the 2006 Just Plain Folks Best Asian Album award.
Broadcast History
Aired on KPFK Pacifica 90.7 FM Los Angeles in November 2006
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