Urna (singer)
Encyclopedia
Urna Chahar Tugchi, known as Urna, (born 1969) is a Mongolian singer and player of the yangqin
.
district in Inner Mongolia in a society where song was a ubiquitous part of everyday life. Her first musical training was learning to play the yangqin from a Shanghai Conservatory of Music
professor who was visiting Hohhot
, the capital of Inner Mongolia. Then, at the age of 18, she moved to China to study at the Shanghai Conservatory, a challenging step since she had no knowledge of the Chinese language.
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.
She is also featured in the film Two Horses of Genghis Khan
.
of one of her performances gives an intriguing insight into the extraordinary characteristics of her singing:
Yangqin
The trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia . It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 , but over time the first character changed to 揚 , which means "acclaimed". It is also spelled yang quin or yang ch'in...
.
Biography
Urna was born into a family of herders in the grasslands of the OrdosOrdos Desert
The Ordos Desert is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China . The soil of the Ordos is a mixture of clay and sand and, as a result, is poorly suited for agriculture. It extends over an area of...
district in Inner Mongolia in a society where song was a ubiquitous part of everyday life. Her first musical training was learning to play the yangqin from a Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Shanghai Conservatory of Music
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music , as the first music institution of higher education in China, was founded on November 27, 1927. The teachers and students have won numerous awards both home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name, “the cradle of musicians”.-History:The Shanghai...
professor who was visiting Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, the capital of Inner Mongolia. Then, at the age of 18, she moved to China to study at the Shanghai Conservatory, a challenging step since she had no knowledge of the Chinese language.
She now performs around the world, and is based in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany and in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt. In 2003 she was awarded the RUTH prize in Germany for Best International Artist.
Discography and filmography
Urna has produced four albums of music on CD:- 1995 – Tal Nutag (13 tracks) – with Robert ZollitschRobert Zollitsch (composer)Robert Zollitsch is a composer and producer of new Chinese music. He is known as Lao Luo and "Ye Xue"...
(zitherZitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
) and Oliver Kälberer (guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
) – recorded in a Bavarian church, Mongolian songs and improvisations - 1999 – Hödööd (11 tracks) – with Robert Zollitsch (zither, vocal, percussion), Wu Wei playing the ShengSheng (instrument)The Chinese sheng is a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera...
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-singingOvertone singingOvertone singing, also known as overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody.The partials of a sound wave made by the human voice can be...
, Morin khuurMorin khuurThe morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. The morin khuur is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified...
-virtuoso Burintegus and Ramesh ShothamRamesh ShothamRamesh Shotham is a percussionist and drummer.-Life:Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. He graduated with a degree in zoology from Loyola College, University of Madras...
(Indian percussion) – lyrics in Chinese and Mongolian - 2005 – Amilal (13 tracks) – with Djamchid and Keyvan ChemiraniChemirani ensembleChemirani ensemble is a notable Persian classical music ensemble.The group is made of Chemirani family:*Bijan Chemirani*Djamchid Chemirani*Keyvan Chemirani*Maryam Chemirani...
, ZarbTonbakThe tonbak or zarb is a goblet drum from Persia . It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music...
percussionists from Iran and Zoltan Lantos (Violin) – a personal record of her travels and her world view
She is also featured in the film Two Horses of Genghis Khan
Two Horses of Genghis Khan
Two Horses of Genghis Khan is a movie directed by Mongolian filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa about the singer Urna's quest to find the origins of a song related to The Two White Horses of Genghis Khan , a Mongolian epic in alliterative verse.-External links:...
.
Quotation
Andrea Murray's description in The Herald-TimesThe Herald-Times
The Herald-Times is a daily newspaper serving Bloomington, Indiana and surrounding areas. The newspaper won the Blue Ribbon Daily award in 1975, 1984 and 2007, naming it the best daily newspaper in the state of Indiana in those years.-External links:**...
of one of her performances gives an intriguing insight into the extraordinary characteristics of her singing: