Cultures combine to make beautiful music
Traditional music is given a contemporary twist in a new festival, writes Joyce Morgan.
When Bukhuchuluun Ganburged opens his mouth, a resonant, unearthly sound flows out. It rises above the din of a suburban Parramatta afternoon and turns heads as he gives an impromptu alfresco demonstration.
Little wonder the sound stopped Richard Petkovic in his tracks when he encountered the young Mongolian throat singer busking along King Street in Newtown a couple of years ago.
The two men began talking and are working together in a music ensemble that will open Sydney's first Sacred Music Festival.
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Growing up in the Mongolian capital , Ulaan Batar, Ganburged taught himself the traditional singing style more than 13 years ago.
''I just collected lots of information listening to Mongolian National Radio and some records,'' Ganburged says. ''I asked someone how can I do that … then I just do it by myself.''
The ancient form of singing has its roots in Mongolia's pre-Buddhist shamanistic tradition. So how does one produce such a sound?
''It is very hard work. My voice power comes from stomach.''
Ganburged, 26, studied at Mongolia's song and dance academy and was a member of the country's leading horse-fiddle ensemble. The two-stringed instrument, which features a carved wooden horse's head, is played with a bow of horsehair. Ganburged has replaced the horsehair with fishing line since he arrived in Australia two years ago, since horsehair behaves differently in the grasslands of Mongolia than in humid Sydney.
Mongolian musicians have a close connection with animals and are often asked to play for a sick or distressed animal. ''Mongolian people talk to their animals with music. Sometimes if an animal rejects the baby, people get together and make music to help.''
Does it work? ''Oh, yes,'' he says.
Ganburged will perform with Nafas as part of the festival. The ensemble includes musicians whose roots are in Afghan, West African and American forms.
Its founder, tabla player Yama Sarshar, says the six-member group presents ancient music in a new way.
''These instruments and these music traditions are amazing but we don't want to present it in a traditional way,'' he says. ''We are presenting it in a contemporary and a fun way.''
Sarshar, who lives in Blacktown, is of Afghani background, and from a musical family. His father is a sitar player and his younger brother Masi plays harmonium in Nafas - a Persian word for breath.
''We are all learning from each other,'' Sarshar says. ''The chemistry is good.''
Petkovic, who is the Sacred Music Festival's director and who has worked with western Sydney's refugee and migrant communities for more than a decade, says he wanted to show the range of musical and spiritual traditions in Sydney. In doing so he has inverted the traditional festival model.
''The typical model for a festival is getting lots of money and importing international acts,'' he says. ''Well, we've actually got international acts here. These magnificent traditions are in our backyard.''
He hopes the festival, which will use a range of venues, will become an annual event.
The nine-day festival includes music associated with the Zen Buddhist, Islamic and Christian traditions and performances by Shakuhachi master Riley Lee, the Baha'i Temple Choir, the Harp Ensemble and Sudanese musician Asim Gorashi. As well as the oud, the remarkable musician is known for his ability to whistle.
The centrepiece is a performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins, which will be performed with a 100-voice choir at Sydney Town Hall on the eve of the 10th anniversary of September 11.
Petkovic says he hopes that holding the festival over this anniversary will bring people of diverse traditions together.
''Music can bring you closer to yourself. I don't think you have to be religious to appreciate that.''
Nafas performs at the Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, on Friday and give a workshop on September 15. The festival runs from Friday to September 18. Details at sydneysacredmusicfestival.org.
When Bukhuchuluun Ganburged opens his mouth, a resonant, unearthly sound flows out. It rises above the din of a suburban Parramatta afternoon and turns heads as he gives an impromptu alfresco demonstration.
Little wonder the sound stopped Richard Petkovic in his tracks when he encountered the young Mongolian throat singer busking along King Street in Newtown a couple of years ago.
The two men began talking and are working together in a music ensemble that will open Sydney's first Sacred Music Festival.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Growing up in the Mongolian capital , Ulaan Batar, Ganburged taught himself the traditional singing style more than 13 years ago.
''I just collected lots of information listening to Mongolian National Radio and some records,'' Ganburged says. ''I asked someone how can I do that … then I just do it by myself.''
The ancient form of singing has its roots in Mongolia's pre-Buddhist shamanistic tradition. So how does one produce such a sound?
''It is very hard work. My voice power comes from stomach.''
Ganburged, 26, studied at Mongolia's song and dance academy and was a member of the country's leading horse-fiddle ensemble. The two-stringed instrument, which features a carved wooden horse's head, is played with a bow of horsehair. Ganburged has replaced the horsehair with fishing line since he arrived in Australia two years ago, since horsehair behaves differently in the grasslands of Mongolia than in humid Sydney.
Mongolian musicians have a close connection with animals and are often asked to play for a sick or distressed animal. ''Mongolian people talk to their animals with music. Sometimes if an animal rejects the baby, people get together and make music to help.''
Does it work? ''Oh, yes,'' he says.
Ganburged will perform with Nafas as part of the festival. The ensemble includes musicians whose roots are in Afghan, West African and American forms.
Its founder, tabla player Yama Sarshar, says the six-member group presents ancient music in a new way.
''These instruments and these music traditions are amazing but we don't want to present it in a traditional way,'' he says. ''We are presenting it in a contemporary and a fun way.''
Sarshar, who lives in Blacktown, is of Afghani background, and from a musical family. His father is a sitar player and his younger brother Masi plays harmonium in Nafas - a Persian word for breath.
''We are all learning from each other,'' Sarshar says. ''The chemistry is good.''
Petkovic, who is the Sacred Music Festival's director and who has worked with western Sydney's refugee and migrant communities for more than a decade, says he wanted to show the range of musical and spiritual traditions in Sydney. In doing so he has inverted the traditional festival model.
''The typical model for a festival is getting lots of money and importing international acts,'' he says. ''Well, we've actually got international acts here. These magnificent traditions are in our backyard.''
He hopes the festival, which will use a range of venues, will become an annual event.
The nine-day festival includes music associated with the Zen Buddhist, Islamic and Christian traditions and performances by Shakuhachi master Riley Lee, the Baha'i Temple Choir, the Harp Ensemble and Sudanese musician Asim Gorashi. As well as the oud, the remarkable musician is known for his ability to whistle.
The centrepiece is a performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins, which will be performed with a 100-voice choir at Sydney Town Hall on the eve of the 10th anniversary of September 11.
Petkovic says he hopes that holding the festival over this anniversary will bring people of diverse traditions together.
''Music can bring you closer to yourself. I don't think you have to be religious to appreciate that.''
Nafas performs at the Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, on Friday and give a workshop on September 15. The festival runs from Friday to September 18. Details at sydneysacredmusicfestival.org.
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