A total of $623,000 has been awarded to 89 Fellows (with 15 finalists) in New York State. 2018 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships were awarded in the categories of Fiction, Interdisciplinary Work, Painting, Video/Film, and Folk/Traditional Arts including Tashi D Sharzur aka Techung.
Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter living in exile in Dharamsala and USA, best known for his performances of traditional Tibetan music, dance and opera. Techung is respected for his original solo and collaborative world music albums including: ‘Yarlung: Tibetan Songs of Love and Freedom’ (1997) with composer/performer Miguel Frasconi; ‘Sky Treasure’ (2001) with Windham Hill jazz keyboardist Kit Walker; ‘Traditional Tibetan Drinking Songs’, Vol 1 (1999); ‘Songs from Tibet’ (2006), ‘Winds of Peace’ (2008) and ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ (2009).
Techung’s latest album ‘Lam La Che’ (On The Road) was released internationally through ARC Music in 2013 with Keb Mo and poet Tsering Woeser. ‘Lam La Che’ has received four awards at the 2013 Tibetan Music Awards for Best Album, Best Song, Best Album Cover Design and Best Love song.
Techung’s voice and music has been featured on the soundtracks for the IMAX film Everest as well as ‘Windhorse’ (1998) as well as ‘Dreaming Lhasa’ (2006), ‘Blind Sight’ (2007) and ‘What Remains of Us (2004). In 2011, Techung taught traditional music and dance at Emory University and he regularly performs at the Tibet House Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall with prominent artists such as Philip Glass, Patti Smith and others. In recent years, Techung has had the honour of opening for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s public talks in the USA, Costa Rica and Japan.
Songlines Magazine wrote of Techung’s ‘Lam La Che’:
“It shines when presenting the sort of natural fusions and cross-pollinations that speak of an artist deeply engaged in his past, yet creatively open.”
Congratulations from ARC Music to Techung for being a recipient of a Folk/Tradition Arts Fellows 2018. Please click on this link to see the official press release and news of all the Arts Fellows and Finalists for 2018: http://current.nyfa.org/post/175744481278/introducing-nyscanyfa-artist-fellowship-program