MusicTibet.com

Tenzin Dhundup performs in Lhasa

By Lobsang Wangyal

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 17 September 2006 Tenzin Dhundup was among other Japanese artistes in a concert to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 71st birthday in Osaka, Japan, in July. Two weeks later he was in Beijing. Five days later he was in Shanghai. Then on to Chengdu, Xining, and finally he was in Golmud to ride the infamous Golmud-Lhasa train, which was opened at the beginning of July.

He bought a second-class ticket for 750 yuan; the first class costs 1200 and the third class 400 yuan. After two days and two hours ride, he was in Lhasa. "The train ride was fantastic. It travels through some beautiful terrain, occasionally spotting wild animals, and the facilities were better than some expensive flights", Dhundup says.

"When I remembered how we travelled in Indian trains, I just had to laugh."

Dhundup's arrival in Lhasa coincided luckily with some events as if it had been planned. One was the launch of a music album Shingkham gi milam (Dream of blissful abode) composed by Sangnor, who is a renowned Tibetan lyricist and composer in his mid-50s. The songs were sung by different artistes. Dhundup was among the invitees for the event and he presented a song. The event took place in Thangola Nangma, the biggest and the most popular Karaoke bar in Lhasa.

Sangnor has composed such popular songs as Aku lug ze for Yadong and Danang nambu for Chungshi Dolma.

Except for Yadong, Dhundup has met the most popular Tibetan artistes in Tibet including the bands Vajra, Zimig gupa, Tsoera, and singers Chungshi Dolma, Kunga (of Nyinda Kar sum fame) and many other artistes around 30 of them. He also met Penor, another famous lyricist and composer, briefly.

During his one-month tour of Tibet, he visited his native village, which brought back many nostalgic feelings of his childhood. He also visited Kongpo, Lhokha, Shigatse, Nagchu and Namtso.

He has brought the message of love from Tibetan singers and musicians in Tibet to those who are in exile.

Tenzin Dhundup was born in Tibet and was trained in Tibetan dance and music at the prestigious Tibetan Opera Company in Lhasa after completing school. In 1997 he fled Tibet and settled in Nepal. He started his career as a solo artiste in the following year. He plays all the traditional Tibetan instruments. He has special talent in the performance of Dekar — the Tibetan jester.

An electric dranyen is one of his new innovations. Dranyen is a three-paired-strings Tibetan instrument. There are only two pieces of this kind, one of which was purchased by Tibetan Children's Village school in Dharamshala, India. He has five albums to his credit.

Fusion is his style — mixing Tibetan folk songs with his electric dranyen and other non-Tibetan instruments.

In a few days he is moving to Toyota city, Ichican, Japan. He may get to join one of Japan's most prestigious orchestra groups.