As exotic music cultures go, that of the Tuvan peoples of Southern Siberia is off the scale for esoteric appeal. Certainly one of the most inimitable of all the world's traditional music styles, Tuvan singing takes the idea of virtuoso performance to quite astonishing heights. The premier Tuvan touring ensemble, Huun Huur Tu, will make Vancouver's Christ Church Cathedral a stop on its latest tour, the fourth performance for local afficionados in a decade.

Tuva is smack in the centre of Asia, right between the southern fringe of Siberia and Mongolia; the approximately 150,000 Tuvans are a nomadic Turkic people, sufficiently isolated to have enjoyed a fair degree of autonomy. Lately Tuvan traditional music has made its way in the rest of the world, in significant part because of Huun Huur Tu - "a band ... that's been making spectacularly strange music for almost two decades," to quote The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones Critic's Notebook piece published last week.

Robert Benaroya, the visionary behind local presenter organization Caravan World Rhythms, notes that "They have a steady, loyal following in Vancouver." And, as an organization devoted to the idea of bringing traditional, authentic world music to town, Caravan has an exemplary track record of bringing distinguished groups like Huun Huur Tu to town (try saying that three times real fast!). Have things changed in a decade of presentations ? "The core audience hasn't increased much, but the influence of world music has certainly grown, particularly on jazz and classical music."

Indeed, less adventurous audiences have embraced - perhaps unknowingly - music techniques from all over the globe. Witness the hundreds of local performers who sang Sarah Hopkins' Past Life Melodies at the wind-up of MusicFest Vancouver's choral jamboree this summer. All those Vancouver choristers might want to see how the Tuvan virtuosi handle the overtone singing technique that distinguishes Hopkins' trendy little piece.

This question of influence versus authenticity is very much a part of our 21st century way of looking at the worlds of music and the musics of the world. According to Benaroya, "There's a particular spirit and energy from various regions in the world and how their people express themselves. We're listening to their music and trying to get into their mindset, which can be a powerful and beautiful experience."

He admits you can't achieve any deep understanding from a single hearing, "a glimpse of another culture." Real appreciation can only come from repeated exposure; but exposure has to start somewhere.

Then there's the matter of individual taste and cultural identity. "Some people find Persian music really boring, whereas others become fascinated. It's extremely subjective. When Caravan presents a Persian program, 95 per cent of the audience will be Iranian. Although the media have been very supportive, it's still extremely difficult to attract any non-Iranian audience. Our challenge is to put this music into a context that is both affordable and attractive to a mass audience, and we haven't found the right formula yet."

But back to the Tuvans. As Frere-Jones tells his New York readers, "The bedrock of Huun Huur Tu's music is the group's otherworldly technique, which employs very low notes and circular breathing to create tones that sound like electric guitars plugged in and left on the floor to drone." (This explains the healthy subset of metalheads in the audience.)

Benaroya adds: "A lot of the music expresses the ecological landscape of the people who live there. For me, Tuvan music is definitely a spiritual experience. The overtone singing gets into your body and your skin. It's a cleansing experience, you leave the concert feeling uplifted."

How would he sum up the group for potential first-time listeners? "They play all these cool folk instruments, and they're really cool people."

Special to the Sun

At a glance

Huun Huur Tu: Throat Singers and Musicians from Tuva

Presented by Caravan World Rhythms

When: Saturday, 8 p.m.

Where: Christ Church Cathedral, Burrard at Georgia

Tickets: $32 to $42, from caravanbc.com, Red Cat Records, Highlife and Zulu Records