Master throat singers bring Asian culture to WCU
The Alash ensemble will hold a special performance featuring the ancient tradition of throat singing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.
From the Tuva Republic in Central Asia, the group will offer a unique look at the power of the human voice. Throat singing is a technique that involves singing multiple pitches at the same. In Tuva, nomadic herdsmen developed the art generations ago as they mimicked sounds and harmonies in nature, such as birdsongs and wind. Newsweek has compared the sound to “a human bagpipe — a person who could sing a sustained low note while humming an eerie, whistle-like melody. For good measure, toss in a thrumming rhythm similar to that of a jaw harp, but produced vocally — by the same person, at the same time.”
The performance at WCU is part of the 2013-14 Arts and Cultural Events Performance Series. The show is free to students, $5 for the general public.
www.ace.wcu.edu or 828.227.03751 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 828.227.2479.
