Chaksampa’s concert in the Twin Cities on August 30, 2003 was a performance to remember. The San Francisco Tibetan Music and Opera group delighted an enthusiastic audience of 350 people of all ages.
The concert included longtime favorites such as the tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as songs played in contemporary styles from Chaksampa’s albums “Renewal” and “Yarlung”. The crowd particularly enjoyed cross-over numbers like “L.A. Bhumo” as well as “Gangkar Jayi Shokpa” and other lively Amdo songs. “Lhasai Bhumo”, a contemporary tune with a jazzy beat, drew gasps of surprise as the group stretched the dra-nyen sound to its limit, blaring a unique rhythm. The music brought squeals and shouts from the audience, who clapped their hands in time to the music.
The program was sponsored by the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM). The Minnesota Tibetan Cultural Dance group, a TAFM program that gives students an opportunity to learn and perform Tibetan traditional dances, opened the concert.
The performance in Minneapolis was the final stop in a 7-city tour. The group is returning to San Francisco where their next concert will be for His Holiness The Dalai Lama–the ultimate honor for performers.
Tashi Dhondup (Techung) and Sonam Tashi (Danny), former artistes from the esteemed Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), founded Chaksampa with the objective of preserving and promoting traditional Tibetan dance and music in North America. These two artistes are the core of the group. Other TIPA-trained singers and musicians living in the US and Canada, typically perform with them. In Minnesota, four other artistes joined as special guests on this lively night.
Chaksampa was also well received in the other cities on the tour. Their success is a testament that Tibetan performing arts are alive and well — and that this rich heritage of song, music and dance can be enthusiastically appreciated by a younger generation more used to listening to P. Diddy or Lil Pow Wow.
For more information about Chaksampa, and about sponsoring a concert, e-mail Techung at chaksampa@yahoo.com.
Submitted by Kalsang Phuntsok on behalf of Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota. Kalsang can be contacted at kalsang01@yahoo.com
