UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MANOA OUTREACH COLLEGE
Community Services Division
Tyva Kyzy (Daughters of Tuva)
Info: Jan 31 • Sat • 7:30pm • Leeward Community College Theatre • $5 to $22 in advance, $10 to $27 at-the-door • TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE, click on www.etickethawaii.com. Tickets also available by calling 483-7123 (charge by phone at Aloha Stadium box office, M-F 9am-5pm) or by visiting any UH Ticket outlet (Rainbowtique stores, Stan Sheriff Center, UHManoa Campus Center ticket office, Windward Community College OCET office), service charges apply. Advance sales end 4 hours and 30 minutes before the performance. At the door sales begin 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to the performance. For more information call 956-8246 or visit www.outreach.hawaii.edu/community.
Tyva Kyzy (Daughters of Tuva) is the first and foremost all-woman ensemble that performs the main styles of Tuvan throat-singing, known as khoomei. This multiple-tone harmonic singing is the most well-know form of Tuvan performance folklore and reveals a deep connection with the sonic landscape of one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth. The whisper of the wind, the babble of the brook, the cry of a camel -- all find their place in the sounds and lyrics of Tuvan throat-singing.
Tuva is a semi-autonomous republic of Russia, located in the heart of Asia and isolated from much of the world by its surrounding mountain ranges. In the capitol city Kyzyl, two rivers join to form the great Siberian river Yenisey. Two-thirds of the population (of 310,000) are ethnic Tuvans, traditionally nomadic hunters and herders with deep spiritual traditions in Shamanisim and Buddhism.
Tyva Kyzy performs traditional throat-singing in their own unique feminine style and utilizes a wide range of folk instruments, such as the igil (the horse-headed fiddle), the cha-khomus (a large mouth harp made from a hunting bow and arrow), and their signature instrument the chadagan (a hammered dulcimer). The five members of the ensemble have refined their abilities through training with master musicians. Several of them perform in the Tuvan National Orchestra. Their repertoire was developed through long hours of practice, innovation and by searching out the songs of their elders and of the land.
Old social taboos held that a woman`s throat-singing can cause anything from unhappiness to infertility or event the death of her relatives. Tyva Kyzy was established in 1998 and their existence and popularity have begun to address these superstitious beliefs. To foster the growth, talent and confidence of women and girls, Tyva Kyzy members teach khoomei and folklore to those who are interested. The group has also toured extensively in Japan, Europe, Russia and beginning in 2005, the United States. All this strengthens the livelihood of the female throat-singer, which is still considered a rare and somewhat controversial occupation in Tuva.
Click below to listen to Kozhangnar (Refrain verses) by Tyva Kyzy:
Click below to listen to Ayak shaiym (My bowl of tea) by Tyva Kyzy:
A University of Hawai`i at Manoa Outreach College presentation funded in part by the Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.