Namgyal Lhamo Explained

Namgyal Lhamo
Alias:The Nightingale of Tibet
Origin:Tibet
Instruments:Tibetan lute, Dulcimer
Genre:Tibetan Traditional, World
Years Active:1964-Present
Label:Music & Words, Silk Road communications
Associated Acts:Gangchenpa, The Wolfmen

Namgyal Lhamo is an internationally acclaimed Tibetan Opera, classical singer and actor. She is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.[1]

Early life

Starting at the age of eight, Lhamo, recognized by many as a child prodigy, and her sister, Kelsang Chukie Tethong, trained under great masters of Tibetan Opera and Classical Music at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts set up by the Dalai Lama. Lhamo trained for fourteen years.[2] [3] Her sister trained for eleve years as she had to earn money after their father died.[4] Lhamo went on to become the star performer of the Institute and toured extensively.

Through this passage she stepped into the tradition of the various kinds of classical and folk music of her country. Her interpretations of the Nangma and the Toeshe, Tibetan classical songs from the 17th century, have been universally acclaimed and she is popularly known as The Nightingale of Tibet.[5]

Since the 1980s, Namgyal Lhamo has lived in the Netherlands while her sister was based in India.[4] Lhamo continues to perform at concerts in Europe and across the world, still pursuing the mission to preserve Tibetan culture through her music.

Career

She toured in 1998 through the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium with Tibet Impressions and participated in global manifestations such as Earth Dance, World Artists for Tibet, the 50th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights and performed at Freedom concerts in Amsterdam and New York City alongside acts like The Beastie Boys, Alanis Morissette and Björk.[6]

In 2008, Namgyal Lhamo teamed up with British musicians Chris Constantinou and Marco Pirroni of the rock band The Wolfmen and recorded the single "Paradise Lost". The music video of the track was directed by former Indian filmmaker Arvind Iyer and was released on the eve of the Beijing Olympics. "Paradise Lost" screened in competition at the Asian Hotshots Berlin film festival in January 2009[7] and the 2010 Tibet Film Festival in London[8] and received the 2009 Best Music Video Award at the Tibetan Music Awards.[9]

Her debut feature film, The Nightingale of Tibet, where Lhamo plays the role of singer Yiga Gyalnang, is loosely based on her own life and has screened across various international film festivals such as the 35th Cairo International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best International Film on Human Rights.[10] [3]

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei called the film "A sad and moving film that made us realize that the plight of the Tibetan people is the plight of all humankind."[11] Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of Tibet, commented "The manner in which this film has been treated is simple, yet is very potent in depiction. It is a very dignified and restrained interpretation of one woman's struggle to keep her spiritual, cultural and artistic space alive."[12]

Filmography

Executive producer

Co-writer

Actor

Awards and nominations

Discography

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Post . Tibet . Arvind Iyer's film to screen in Rome . tibet.net . 11 March 2013 . 17 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015012509/http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/3658-human-rights-film-on-tibet-sings-its-way-to-global-success . 15 October 2013 .
  2. Web site: Music from the land of Snow. Canada Tibet Committee . 14 February 2000 . 3 March 2015.
  3. Web site: Human Rights film on Tibet sings its way to global success . The Tibet Post . 1 October 2013 . 2 March 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015012509/http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/3658-human-rights-film-on-tibet-sings-its-way-to-global-success . 15 October 2013 .
  4. Web site: China (Taiwan) . Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of . 2011-01-28 . Voice from Tibet builds cultural bridges . 2022-11-04 . Taiwan Today . en.
  5. Web site: Borpujari . Utpal . Drapchi – The Review. Dearcinema.com . 30 July 2012 . 17 August 2012.
  6. Web site: Drapchi: Putting a Human Face on the Suffering of Tibetans. The Huffington Post . 7 October 2013 . 2 March 2015.
  7. Web site: Staff . Paradise Lost at Berlin festival. CTA News . 16 January 2009 . 7 September 2013.
  8. Web site: Tibet Film Festival opens in London. Central Tibet Administration . 2 July 2010 . 3 March 2015.
  9. Web site: Welcome to the Fourth Tibetan Music Awards. Music Tibet . 10 October 2009 . 3 October 2012.
  10. Web site: Cinema . Dear . Film on Tibet to screen at 35th Cairo International Film Festival. dearcinema.com . 14 November 2012 . 17 March 2013.
  11. Web site: Post . The Tibet . Drapchi – The Nightingale of Tibet . thetibetpost.com . 1 October 2013 . 17 October 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015012509/http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/3658-human-rights-film-on-tibet-sings-its-way-to-global-success . 15 October 2013 .
  12. Web site: News Desk . Drapchi to screen in Rome . tibet.net . 11 March 2013 . 17 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015012509/http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/3658-human-rights-film-on-tibet-sings-its-way-to-global-success . 15 October 2013 .

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