Throat Singing Workshop

Venue: ANNEX

At the ANNEX

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Sound of Dragon presents Throat Singing Workshop featuring katajjaq (Inuit throat singing) singers Lydia Etok & Caroline Novalinga (Montreal) and khommii (Mongolian throat singing) singer Anand Avirmed (Mongolia/US)

Workshop on two distinct styles of throat singing, featuring katajjaq (Inuit throat singing) singers Lydia Etok and Caroline Novalinga (Montreal) and khoomii (Mongolian throat singing) singer Anand Avirmed (Mongolia/US), who is also an accomplished and morin khuur (Mongolian horsehead fiddle) player. Together the musicians will demonstrate the two vocal styles and discuss the historical/social context of their practices.

Katajjaq and Khoomii are both ancestral songs that reproduce sounds of nature, such as water flow, wind, echoes in the mountains, and sounds of animals and birds. Traditionally, Inuit throat singing was exclusively performed by women, while Khoomei was performed by men. Katajjaq is a game practiced by two women facing each other holding their shoulders. The game ends when one of them is out of breath or laughs. Khoomei was primarily used in shamanic ceremonies, and today also used at festive events. They are both fascinating vocal skills of long traditions. This is the first time they are presented together in Vancouver.

Free event