NAMGAR

NAMGAR is a four-piece music group that performs traditional Buryat and Mongolian music, formed in 2001 with the goal to find, restore, and promote traditional Buryat music before it is lost forever. The band's leader Namgar Lhasaranova comes from the east borderland where Russia, Mongolia, and China meet, specifically from the tiny village of Kunkur near the border crossing. She grew up in a Buryat family and comes from a long family line of shamans that preserved the Buryat musical tradition. The melodic music Namgar creates was passed down from her grandparents and father, who sang to her as a child. Praised as a Mongolian Bjork, she and her group fuse traditional Buryat and Mongolian music with elements of pop, jazz, folk, ambient soundscapes, and art-rock. They play their own versions of traditional songs using instruments such as the yataga (a 13-stringed zither), chanza (a three-stringed lute), and the khomus (Jew's harp), along with electric bass and drums to craft their unique sound. Launching Moscow concerts in March 2001, the group performed at the international festival Riddu Riđđu in Norway in July 2001. Namgar's debut CD titled Hatar (Dance) was recorded and issued in October 2003, and in 2013 Namgar released an album called The Dawn of the Foremothers. With their powerful vocals, traditional instruments, and contemporary production, NAMGAR brings the ancient music of the Buryat people to global audiences, preserving cultural heritage while creating something entirely new and relevant for the 21st century.

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