Kongar-ol Ondar
Eagles of Tuva
Friends Of Tuva
Genghis Blues
Paul Pena
Phoebe Kwan and Ralph Leighton said goodbye today to Aydysmaa and Igor Köshkendey – the first student to graduate from Kongar-ol Ondar's special Tuvan music program in Kyzyl back in the 1990s, and a participant in the 2000 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. They are both members of Chirgilchin, which performed last weekend in Berkeley to a rapturous crowd.
Igor is also Director of the Tuvan Cultural Center, founded by Ondar, which sponsored the festivities in Tuva to mark Richard Feynman's 100th birthday.
Logo of FeynmanTuva100, featuring a Feynman Diagram
The Centenary of Richard Feynman's birth is one month away, and some friends of Tuva are getting ready to celebrate that milestone at the Center of Asia monument in Kyzyl!
You can follow their progress on Instagram #feynmantuva100 and at Feynman.com.
Tuva or Bust 2018!
The Legend of Ondar The Groovin' Tuvan
Hear ye, hear ye, and spread the word!
As the New Year approaches, you can celebrate by downloading The Legend of Ondar the Groovin' Tuvan free, through New Year's Day!
Enjoy the narration by Roy "Future Man" Wooten of this modern-day folktale by Ralph Leighton, beautifully illustrated by Bart Choy, with music and vocals by the legendary Ondar himself!
May the spirit of Kongar-ol Ondar light up the world once again!
'Tis the season, so look for The Legend of Ondar the Groovin' Tuvan on iTunes —
and if you have a hardcover copy of the book, this is where you can hear Roy "Future Man" Wooten read it!
On the night before his return to Tuva after riding in the Rose Parade in 2013, Kongar-ol Ondar recorded some tracks impromptu for Dirtwire artists Evan Fraser and David Satori, who are big Ondar / Tuva fans.
The result can be heard here.
I know Ondar was always keen to expand the horizons of his artistry and the reach of Tuvan music (witness Genghis Blues and Back TUVA Future), so I'm sure he would have enjoyed this EP.
You can find more of Ondar's music here, along with recordings of the godfather of the Tuva adventure, Richard Feynman.
What a tragedy that Ondar left us so soon!
Tuvanly yours,
In memory of Ondar, Zappa.com posted a short sample of the recording that Ondar made at the home of Frank Zappa in 1993.
The Los Angeles Times published an obituary for Kongar-ol Ondar.
This week National Public Radio's show "Fresh Air" broadcast a 10-minute piece on Kongar-ol Ondar, titled Remembering The People's Throat Singer Of Tuva. The show incorporates part of a 1999 interview in which Ondar demonstrated his singing for Fresh Air host Terry Gross. Because he didn't speak English, Back Tuva Future co-producer Ralph Leighton (co-founder of Friends of Tuva) joined Ondar in the studio to translate.
The New York Times published a comprehensive and respectful obituary for Ondar, describing the remarkable life he lived.
It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Kongar-ol Ondar passed away last night in Kyzyl. Those who knew him are shocked and it is too soon for us to put our thoughts into words, there will be time for that later. It is in some ways an end of an era. An obituary has been written by Jonathan Kaminsky of Reuters.
Ondar's albums Echoes of Tuva and Tuva Talk are available once again! See kongar-olondar.bandcamp.com for the details.
Ondar has been listed as one of the featured artists in NPR's 50 Great Voices exploration.
Tuvan throat-singing master ONDAR raps in Vladivostok, Russia, at the end of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, 9288 kilometers from Moscow. Ondar is joined by Richard "Tuva or Bust" Feynman on this cut from the 1999 Warner Bros CD "Back TUVA Future".
Ondar appears on the cover of a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Ondar and Paul Pena appear in a promotional video for their duo, Genghis Blues. The documentary feature film of the same name was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.
Master throat singer from the Republic of Tuva