Urna (singer)
| Urna Chahar Tugchi | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Урна Цахар Тугч |
| Born | 1969 Ordos, Inner Mongolia |
| Nationality | Mongolian |
| Occupation | Singer and musician |
Urna Chahar Tugchi, known as Urna, (born 1969)[1] is a Mongolian singer[2] and player of the yangqin.
Biography
Urna was born into a family of herders in the grasslands of the Ordos Plateau in Inner Mongolia,[3] a society where song was a ubiquitous part of everyday life.[4] Her first musical training was learning to play the yangqin—Chinese dulcimer—from a Shanghai Conservatory of Music professor who was visiting Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia.[3] Then, at the age of 18, she moved to study at the Shanghai Conservatory, a challenging step since she had no knowledge of the Chinese language.[3]
She now performs around the world, and is based in Bavaria, Germany and in Cairo, Egypt. In 2003, she was awarded the RUTH prize in Germany for Best International Artist.[3]
Discography and filmography
Urna has produced four albums of music on CD:[5]
- 1995 – Tal Nutag (13 tracks) – with Robert Zollitsch (zither) and Oliver Kälberer (guitar, mandolin) – recorded in a Bavarian church, Mongolian songs and improvisations
- 1999 – Hödööd (11 tracks) – with Robert Zollitsch (zither, vocal, percussion), Wu Wei playing the Sheng and Sebastian Hilken playing the cello and the frame drum – Mongolian songs and original compositions
- 2001 – Jamar (10 tracks) – with Robert Zollitsch playing the zither and throat-singing, Morin khuur-virtuoso Burintegus and Ramesh Shotham (Indian percussion) – lyrics in Chinese and Mongolian
- 2005 – Amilal (13 tracks) – with Djamchid and Keyvan Chemirani, Zarb percussionists from Iran and Zoltan Lantos (Violin) – a personal record of her travels and her world view[3]
She is also featured in the film Two Horses of Genghis Khan.[6]
Reception
Andrea Murray's description in The Herald-Times of one of her performances gives an intriguing insight into the extraordinary characteristics of her singing:[7]
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She sang like a child, like a banshee, like a warrior, like a lost lamb, like a horse trader.... when the last note was gone, the silent audience stood up and cheered.
References
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