Artist description Techung is a Tibetan singer and song writer.

Music Style Tibetan

Musical Influences Classical and Traditional Tibetan music. Indian film and western pop and rock music

Artist History Born and raised in India. He and his young family currently live in the United States. Techung is best known for his performances of traditional Tibetan music, dance and opera with Chaksampa. Chaksampa had performed at all four Tibetan Freedom Concerts as well as at Carnegie Hall. He uses his formal name Tashi Dhondup with Chaksampa, and his childhood nickname Techung in all his solo recording works. His music has been received with high acclaim and deep audience appreciation from many and varied listeners. e

Group Members Miguel Frasconi Kit Walker Jim Santi Owen,

Instruments Dranyen, Tibetan lute, Lingbu,flute, Piwang, fiddle,

Albums Yarlung 1996, Changshay 1999 , Sky Treasure 2001, Nyingtop 2002

Press Reviews CD Reveiws by DERK RICHARSON Mixed Media Yoga Journal November 2001 TECHUNG AND KIT WALKER: SKY TREASURE (Kunga Records, www.mp3.com/techung. Child of exiled Tibetans, schooled in opera at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dhara msala, India, and steeped in the folk music of his people, Techung (a.k.a. Tashi D. Sharzur) brings every aspect of that background to bear on this collaboration with Northern California keyboardist/producer Kit Walker. Joined by percussionist Geoffrey Go rdon, Techung and Walker have successfully negotiated the daunting terrain between acoustic music rooted in ancient traditions and technologically-enhanced New Age, world-fusion soundscapes. Techung plays dranyen (Tibetan lute), piwang (Tibetan violin), a nd bamboo flute, which fit naturally with Gordon's hand drums and miscellaneous percussion, and play beautifully off Walker's judiciously applied synthesizers and drum programming. Techung's most stirring instrument, however, is his voice. Although he per forms in his native tongue, his intentions are powerfully expressed in his emotionally saturated tenor. In "Land of Snows," he sings of the treacherous journey through the Himalayas undertaken by Tibetans fleeing the Chinese occupation; "Pawo Thupten Ngod up" was inspired by a freedom fighter who sacrificed himself in self-immolation on April 27, 1998, in support of a Tibetan hunger strike; Techung wrote "Tashi Gathon" as a modern Tibetan New Year song, envisioning a free Tibet; he sings "Aku Pema - T he Lo tus On e," in homage to the Dalai Lama, because the Chinese government banned it; and in "Compassion Prayer (Treasure Revealer)," after singing a melody based on a ceremonial song from his mother's home region, he chants prayer written by the Dalai Lama. F rom b eginning to end, Walker, who has worked with Jai Uttal, Deval Premal, the Native American trio Walela, and others, expands the aural space with swirling atmospherics and contemporary electronics, lending momentum to the music, and providing a colorfu l, a nd always respectful, backdrop for Techung's messages. Derk Richardson writes about popular culture for Yoga Journal, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and the The Gate ************************************************************* "Techung" is an except ional Tibetan musical talent; rigrouslytrained as an ope ra "star" by the grand masters of Lhamo, the traditionalTibetan opera, at the Tibetan Institute of Perfoming Arts, and with alife-long background in Tibetan folk mu sic. In recent years, he has writtenand performed dozens of new songs. While each songs appears unmistakablyTibetan and traditional, they are in reality modern compositions withcontemporary lyrics, often his own. "Yarlung" is an outstanding example ofnew Tibetan music that will rea ch a global audience.TENZIN N. TETHONG Chairman, Committee of 100 for Tibet,former Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and "Kalon Tripa" of theTibetan Government in Exile. ************************************************************** From t he ne wsletter of the Manjushri Di-Chen School of Thuckje Choeling Monastery, edite d and published by SUSAN SHANNON: MUSIC: Sky Treasure, by Techung and Kit Walker. Every no w and then someo ne gives me a recording that immediately becomes an intimate companion. I have traveled, slept, shared, sang and cr ied with this recording since first hearing it nearly 6 months ago. Techung and Kit Walker have merged he re in a collectiv e ef fort resulting in a deeply emotional and visceral yet delightful gift of music, which depicts clearly the changin g status of Tibet and Tibetans today. Both musicians are greatly accomplished in their own right with n u merous recordin g s an d varied backrounds. Techung's voice and languaging of the traditional instruments he has mastered create a journe y of aural landscapes filled with respect and homage to the treasury of history, heritage, courage and devotion w hi ch are the corners tones b y which the Tibetan culture is rebuilding itself outside of the homeland of Tibet. Kit Walker com bined the perfect subtle flavors of west meets east in terms of the musical arrangements, keyboards and per cu ssi ve rhyt hms. Geoffre y Gordon enhances those rhythms on 3 tracks with his own multiethnic style. The lyrics of the 9 songs, sung in Tibetan, create a panoramic experience of the Tibetan situation today spiritually, emotionally and politi ca lly. T his recording i s available on CD from: www.kitwalker.com. Check it out! ************************************************************** Techung, has reached a new peak of musical inspiration and political conviction with his newest CD, "Yarlun g". Joined by western musicians, Miguel Fransconi, and Jim Santi Owen, Techung has produced a startling deep fusion of love and politics that refuses to let go of a listener's heart. For those of us who have long enjoyed the rich tradition s of Ti betan classical and folk music, this new album thrills and delights the ea r w ith its gentle blend of musical innovation, while staying close to the abiding foundations of Tibetan culture. For a new listener, the purity and perfection of t his m usi c will inevitably send you in search of one of his early C.D., such as "Sky Treasure" or "Changshay" "Yarlung" traverses the essential heart of Tibetans, leading us through the tentative stirrings of new love in songs such as "Evan escent Love" "With You" and the stunningly beautiful song "Tsomo". Techung then moves us into the joys of dancing with "Kyipo Tang". From this point, we are drawn into the pain and poignant reality that every Tibetan bears today---the loss of th eir count ry and the on-going struggle for independence. Techung, as a contemporary a rtist in this sad period of exile, extends his firm conviction that Tibet will be free once again through the words in "Rangzen (Independence)", and "Return to the Land of S nows". His insistence that we all learn and remember the history of Tibet, is ind elibly set in "1959", punctuating the music with sounds of Tibetan voices, crying out in protest and fear as shots ring through the background, reminding u s of t he ye ar that the Chinese forcibly seized control of their country. The music and messa ges contained within Yarlung, will linger long in the soul, energizing each of us to stay involved in the goal to return Tibet, to all Tibetans. This is a timeless piece, in that it fuses the reality of the present with the past, but provokes us to be participants in composing a new Tibet. CYNTHIA JOSAYMA El Cerrito, CA March 10, 2001 ************************************************************ ** At last, Chang shay at the push of a button BHUCHUNG K. TSERING, Tibetan Review, October 1999 Many young Tibetans may recollect the moments we have faced during parties or other occasions when we are called upon to sing some chang songs. Unless you are a TIP A graduate or one of those brilliant individuals who can catch the wordings of songs sung by our parents during weddings, it is more likely that our stock of chang songs may end with Tseringpo and Changlo Khangsar Karpo. Today, un like our previou s generation which just had Chang and Arak, our choice of alcoholic beverages have increased manifold, but we are gravely handicapped wh en it comes to chang songs. Most of us only have superficial knowledge of the popular chang songs. But there is remedy at hand in the form of a new album by Techung (Tashi Dhondup Shazur). Simply titled Changshay (Chang song), this album is a collectio n of 17 different songs from all parts of Tibet. Numbers include all-time favourites like Sharpa Rinzin, Norzang Gyalu, and Tseringpo to more recent popular ones like Drechang Silma and Yarlung Trinzang. While the songs are all no doubt traditional on es, yet there have been some adaptations. Normally, most of the chang songs would not be accom panied by musical inst ruments, for the simple reason that they are all sung spontaneously during festive occasions. One only has to imagine a group of Tibet an maidens carrying chang-filled bowls moving from one guest to another, provoking them to drin k more as they si ng one chang s ong after another interspersed by laughter, to get a visual image of the atmosphere. They thus have a rustic style. Techung has sought recourse to his Dramnyen, the Tibetan lute, and flute to give a beat, if you will, to the son gs. The usage of Dramn yen with chang songs has become a common feature among Tibetan artistes these days. This works well in the new situation as one can enjoy both the music and the song as one takes a sip from oneís beer, wine or chang. Techung ha s not onl y give n the lyri cs of the songs but also their translation into English. Thus, you donít need to be a Tibetan to enjoy the album. You only nee d to have the spirit, in all its meanings. As an aside, the lyric of one of the songs, Supheb la, is quite interesting as i t gives a cross-cultural dimension. It tells the story of interaction between a merchant and a maiden (Techung translates this t o mean his wife). The term used for the merchant is Sodhak la, which is a name used by the people in Lhasa to refer to the Tibetan Muslim merchants in the city. The term used for the maiden is Kanchi, which is a Nepalese word. In the song, the Kanch i is asking the Sodhak, who is leaving for India, to take her along or leave back a memento. The CD is availab le in Shop N o. 1 in Dharamsala or Tashi Delek in Paris. Contact Sharzur@yahoo.com if you are living in the West or other areas. Changshay is being released by Kunga Records and is avialable through www.mp3.com/techung. In the absence of Chang maidens, you now have chang songs at the push of a button. i

Additional Info Yarlung II NYINGTOP available here February, 2002, Web image by: Jeanne Herbert

Location San Francisco, CA - USA

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