ALASH

Iowa debut | Jeff Coffin, of the Flecktones and Dave Matthews Band, has called it the most beautiful and haunting music he's ever heard. One reviewer wrote, “It’s a basso croak that becomes a roar ... it’s an otherworldly sound that combines a hum, a whistle, a flute and the buzzy overtones of electronic music.”

Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time that was originally developed by the nomadic herdsmen of this tiny Asian republic. What distinguishes the gifted quartet from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. Alash has collaborated with groups as diverse as the Sun Ra Arkestra, Béla Fleck and Flecktones and the classical Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Student Producers Program.

But while one can find complex harmonies, western instruments and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, its overall sound and spirit are decidedly Tuvan. Trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood, the five members of Alash studied at Kyzyl Arts College just as Tuva was beginning to open up to the West. They formed a traditional ensemble and won multiple awards for traditional throat singing in international xöömei competitions, both as an ensemble and as individual musicians.

Alash first toured the U.S. under the sponsorship of the Open World Leadership program of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then they have returned many times, to the delight of American audiences. The Washington Post described their music as “utterly stunning,” quipping that after the performance “audience members picked their jaws up off the floor.”

Of one live appearance with the Flecktones, The Denver Post remarked, “As electrifying as the Flecktones’ performance was, the band were nearly upstaged by Alash Ensemble.”

Beyond performing, Alash has a passion for teaching and promoting understanding between cultures. Their tours often include workshops where students from primary, middle and high schools, colleges, universities and music conservatories have been exposed to Tuvan music. Children as young as 8 and 9 have learned to throat-sing. As one student exclaimed, “Alash opened my eyes to a whole new world.”