The foursome Huun Huur Tu comes from the former Soviet Republic of Tuva, a sparsely settled region of grassland, boreal forests, and mountain ridges that lies 2,500 miles east of Moscow and is situated at the center of Asia, north of Mongolia. Their indigenous music highlights rare instruments and preserves what is arguably one of the world’s oldest forms of music making. The best known genre of Tuvan music, khöömei (throat singing), comprises what one might call a lexicon of musical onomatopoeia in which natural sounds are mimetically transformed into musical representations. Throat singing (also called “overtone singing”) is a technique by which a vocalist is able to produce multiple pitches simultaneously. The listener may hear a deep, low chant along with a high-pitched chirp or whistle, plus multiple other harmonics emanating from one singer. The people of Tuva use song to describe their natural surroundings, whether it be the , animal world, physical environment, or the movement of wind, water and light.

Closely linked to traditional shamanistic practices, Tuvan folk music, with its combination of instrumental and throat-singing sounds, has for centuries been used for communication with spirits of the human, animal, and natural worlds. Singled out for its “most incredible sound…as astounding as it is breath-taking...like nothing else on earth” (The Evening News, Edinburgh, UK), the group since its formation in 1992 has given more than 1,000 performances in Western Europe, around 600 shows in US and Canada, and appeared at major world and jazz music festivals all over Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Their past collaborations include projects with Frank Zappa, Ry Cooder, The Kronos Quartet, and (most recently) electronica wiz & record producer Carmen Rizzo.

Their new album, “Ancestors Call,” is a great opportunity to experience something quite unique: the sound of Huun Huur Tu is sometimes guttural, sometimes piercing, always haunting and hypnotic. The album is trance-inducing and exhibits an extraordinary meditative power. It takes you on a lush cinematic journey of almost dream-like moments of profound happiness. A thrilling ride from start to finish.

Kaigal-ool Khovalyg

An extremely talented, self-taught overtone singer, Khovalyg worked as a shepherd until the age of 21, when he was invited to join the Tuvan State Ensemble. He settled in Kyzyl and started teaching throat singing and igil. A co-founder of Huun-Huur-Tu, he left the State Ensemble in 1993 to devote his attention to the newly formed quartet. He has performed and recorded with the Tuva Ensemble, Vershki da Koreshki, the World Groove Band and the Volkov Trio. Covering a range from tenor to bass, Khovalyg is particularly known for his unique rendition of the khöömei and kargyraa singing styles.

Sayan Bapa

Sayan Bapa, child of a Tuvan father and Russian mother, grew up in the industrial town Ak-Dovurak. He received his musical training in Kislovodsk, Northern Caucasus, where he played fretless bass in a Russian jazz-rock band for several years. In the early 1990s he returned to Tuva to study his roots, and became a member of a folk-rock band, performing traditional Tuvan music on electric instruments. A co-founder of Huun-Huur-Tu, Bapa is a versatile string instrumentalist, and performs on the doshpuluur, igil and acoustic guitar. As a vocalist he is currently specializing in the kargyraa style.

Radik Tyulyush

Radik was born in the Ovur area of The Republic of Tuva, near the border with Mongolia. He has been interested in studying and performing folk music since childhood, and he learned throat-singing from his grand-dad. While Radik was still in secondary school, his family moved to Kyzyl. After receiving his high school diploma, he started studying medicine. Upon graduation he worked at the Centre of Folk Medicine in Kyzyl. He later graduated from the Chyrgal-ool Arts School (Kyzyl), where he had been studying igil. He participated in various Tuvan rock and folk collectives, including  the world-famous Yat-Kha. Radik currently teaches igil at the Kerndenbilija Arts School of The Republic of Tuva. He joined Huun-Huur-Tu in 2005.

Alexei Saryglar

Alexei Saryglar joined the ensemble in 1995 to replace Alexander Bapa. He completed his musical training in Ulan Ude as a percussionist for classical and popular music, and became a member of the large Russian state ensemble 'Siberian Souvenir'. A multi-talented performer, Saryglar makes his mark as a sygyt singer, and his expertise with traditional Tuvan percussion and string instruments naturally extends into the art of piano playing. Like the other members of the ensemble, he resides in Kyzyl when not on tour.