WOMAD 2009 Featured Artist: The Gyuto Monks

Click to enlarge

The chants of the Gyuto Monks shimmer above a tone so low it seems to boom from the earth itself. This otherworldly sound, based on one of the lowest fundamental pitches of any of the world’s throat-singing traditions, is a sacred offering to the Tibetan Buddhist deities and enlightened beings. Instruments in the Gyuto tradition serve to keep time and punctuate the extended chants, with everything from delicate cymbal-taps to blasts from the yards-long dungchen, an alpenhorn-like instrument played in pairs. Their sonic offerings, while transforming the performers’ mind and body with its demanding technique, serves a broader purpose - the call for the enlightenment and salvation of all beings.

www.gyuto.org

www.gyuto.va.com.au

© Scoop Media