From Tibet to Tamborine Mountain, singer-songwriter's musical journey
Tibetan-Australian singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal, who is inviting music lovers to join his cultural journey in a one-night-only performance in the Scenic Rim
Tibetan-Australian singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal is inviting music lovers to join his cultural journey in a one-night-only performance in the Scenic Rim.
His Whispering Sky concert at the Vonda Youngman Community Centre, Tamborine Mountain, on Friday 16 May, will showcase his extraordinary vocal ability and mastery of traditional instruments such as the lingbu (bamboo flute) and dranyen (three-stringed lute).
Tenzin Choegyal has been on a life-long musical pilgrimage since his early years in India's refugee village of Dharamsala and his journey to Brisbane to start a new life in 1997.
“Coming to Australia opened up so many possibilities for my music and I’m super proud to be called a Tibetan-Australian artist,” he said.
Drawing strongly on his nomadic roots, Tenzin Choegyal's music echoes his tireless advocacy for freedom in Tibet.
A son of Tibetan nomads, he has no memory of his homeland, with his family having fled the Chinese occupation while he was a small child, although he still feels a strong connection to the Himalayan plateau.
He attributes his passion for music to the early influences of his parents, his mother’s singing as she went about her work and the flute melodies played each evening by his father.
Growing up in the refugee community in Dharamsala, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama encouraged his people to preserve their culture through language, religion and the arts, Tenzin Choegyal was able to explore his musical talents.
He is now one of the world’s most celebrated Tibetan musicians but also enjoys pushing boundaries and experimenting with diverse musical styles including orchestral works, electronica and indigenous music from various traditions.
Tenzin Choegyal's album Songs From the Bardo, a contemporary interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead recorded with US collaborators Laurie Anderson and Jesse Paris Smith, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2021.
“It’s a really beautiful ancient text, and this work is a fusion of age-old wisdom with a very contemporary sound,” he said.
His most recent album, Whispering Sky, became a truly global venture, originating in his Brisbane studio and evolving in collaboration with international artists across Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia.
From New York’s Carnegie Hall to Sydney’s Opera House and the folk festivals of WOMADelaide and Woodford, Tenzin Choegyal has thrilled audiences around the world, taking them on a musical journey transcending cultural boundaries and revealing ancient wisdoms.
“I liken music to drifting clouds that fly freely over the man-made geographical borders in this infinite space of possibilities," he said.
“Performing gives me a stage where I can connect with others, raise awareness of important issues and encourage mutual understanding of the diversity of humanity.”
Tickets for Tenzin Choegyal's Tamborine Mountain Whispering Sky concert are $39 for adults, $35 for seniors or concessions and $35 per person for groups of eight or more.
A bar will be operating with light refreshments available for purchase.
Book at The Centre Beaudesert box office or online at creativescenicrim.com