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Huun Huur Tu, a throat-singing musical ensemble from the south Siberian Republic of Tuva, will perform in the University of Dayton's Kennedy Union Ballroom at 8 tonight. The event is part of the World Rhythms Concert series, and student tickets cost $5.
The four-man group has been touring North America, sharing its music with numerous audiences. Throat singing consists of musicians singing at two or more different pitches simultaneously.
The name "Huun Huur Tu" literally means "a sun propeller," but for the group, it means "a sunbeam."
"It's like the sunset and sunrise when the light goes through the clouds and a very, very beautiful prism of light comes down through the clouds and through the forest," said Radik Tyulyush, an ensemble member, describing the name's meaning.
UD's Arts Series is bringing Huun Huur Tu to campus both as a way to offer students exposure to a culture they may not otherwise experience and because the group was well received during its previous visit four years ago in Boll Theater.
"They were a sell-out," said Eileen Carr, Arts Series' coordinator, of the group's previous UD performance.
Carr said the quartet's ability to fill Boll's space with sound was "phenomenal."
"It's just these four guys with these really simple instruments," she said. "But it's just a really resonating and rich sound - so different from any traditional Western sound."
Throat singing, Tyulyush said, is not a unique activity in his homeland of Tuva.
"In Tuva, many people try throat singing," he said. "It's in their lifestyle, not only on stage. In my childhood, I heard these songs from my grandfather. You don't have special classes for throat singing; it's just hearing from the generations [before you] and learning from hearing."
According to Tyulyush, teaching is an important aspect of Huun Huur Tu's performances. He said the audience will gain a new perspective and understanding of diversity.
"We play and teach our culture to Western young generations," he said. "I think after these guys grow up they will have a knowledge of other nations and other mentalities."
According to Carr, providing the audience with a better understanding of what diversity means is one goal of the Arts Series.
"Sometimes we think about diversity in terms of how one person in the classroom might cut their hair or have a tattoo," Carr said. "This is really a world apart. It's not common to encounter someone from the other side of the world who really does come from a herding tradition [on] the steppes of Siberia. I think it's a treasure to not only be able to respectfully listen, but listen with a little joy and openness."
Carr said she encourages students to attend tonight's concert to hear the ensemble's distinctive sound.
"I found [it] very beautiful that some of their music sounds a bit mysterious and also very evocative of nature," Carr said. "They do one piece in particular that is almost like a bird song, which is kind of nice in the middle of winter. You can almost hear the birds in the middle of the woods."
The members of Huun Huur Tu, Tyulyush said, pulls inspiration from the nature and herdsman-filled region around them to create their music.
"I think the students coming to our performance and hearing our music will understand our music - the sound from nature, from the earth and sky," he said. "The sound from the deep mountains and deep forests. Every human understands it."
According to Tyulyush, Huun Huur Tu concerts are known for being peaceful and relaxing.
"The audience will get a very good energy, a very good atmosphere and a very good sound," he said. "... If you're hearing this music, it's unforgettable."
UD's Art Series, celebrating 50 years on campus, presents "outstanding performing arts programs," according to its website.
"With concerts, lectures, films and more, these programs offer a lively look at the diversity of our arts traditions and often challenge us - like all rich educational experiences - to think about our world in new ways," the website said. 01/29/11
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